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

[Rogue Sloth]

When Penelope finally graced him with her gaze, Crow was relieved. Even more than he wanted to put Cedric in his place, he desired to make sure she didn’t blame herself for what the knight had done to her. He wished he could gather her in his arms and kiss her like he used to, but he forced himself to settle with offering her an affectionate smile when she touched his arm. The subtle gestures weren’t as fulfilling, but he still enjoyed the fleeting moment they had together, acting like they were off in their own separate world.

“I’m not hurt,” he assured her, trailing his fingers lightly across her shoulder blades before he let his hand fall back to his side. “I’m angry that he thought it was alright to do something like that to you.” The image of her former suitor leaning in to kiss her when she had nowhere to run brought a flicker of frustration back into his visage. “I don’t care if he used to court you. He had no right to act like you were still his to do with as he pleased. Even if we weren’t together now, it was presumptuous of him to think you’d want that.”

When Penelope said she wished she could just tell the truth, Crow sighed. “Hopefully it won’t be much longer,” he murmured, absently letting his eyes follow the curves of her dress. If other men continued to approach her, he didn’t know how much longer he could keep the secret before he snapped. They might not all be as bold as Cedric had been tonight, but it was still difficult to watch her be stolen away every time he tried to hold a conversation with her. He longed to be able to put his arm around her and tell the others to back off.

Almost as if on cue, the viceroy tensed as Dimia began calling the knight’s name. He glanced over his shoulder at the searching noblewoman and then back to Penelope, who was clearly not ready to present herself in front of the entire crowd yet. If the speech hadn’t been time-sensitive, he would have helped her hide for a little longer so she could compose herself. But, unfortunately, there wasn’t time for that.

“Hey, you can do it,” he reached for her hand, giving it a quick, comforting squeeze before letting go again. “This is what Toreus chose you for. I know you’re going to be great. And if you need any support, I’ll be right here the whole time.” He casted her a lopsided smile. “Now go convince those drunken nobles to end the war.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope was more than reluctant to go meet up with Dimia, knowing fully well it was time for the speech. It brought back the nervousness and anxiety she had managed to push down throughout the evening thanks to how well the first half of the party had been going. She took a small step back, hoping that not responding to Dimia's calls would buy her a bit more time before she had to stand up in front of the crowd. Just as she did, she felt Crow grab her hand. The touch was brief but it was enough to pull her out of her spiralling thoughts.

The knight flickered her gaze over to him as he reminded her that the god had chosen her and that he'd be there for support. While it didn't completely quell all the emotions she was currently feeling, the reassurance did help her work up enough nerve to quit ignoring the noblewoman who was looking for her. "Thanks... I guess I'll see you after then." she said with a nervous chuckle. Penelope shot Crow a small, hopeful smile. "Alright here goes nothing." She let out a long breath, trying to compose herself enough to face Dimia and then eventually the crowd.

Parting from Crow, she made her way towards Dimia, who was still searching for her. As she wove her way around other nobles, the woman caught sight of her and seemed to exhale in relief as if she had been afraid that the knight had ditched the party. "Gods there you are! Come on, come on Oliver is waiting for us and this song is nearly over." Dimia said urgently, already herding Penelope off towards the small stage where the minstrels were located.

"Sorry, sorry I just got sidetracked for a moment." Penelope said holding up her hands defensively. With not a chance to say more, she hurried off with Dimia over to the stage where she saw that not only was Oliver waiting but Naida as well it seemed. The knight raised a brow in confusion as they reached the other two. "I thought you'd be in the crowd?" she said as she walked over to her friend's side.

"I was going to but Oliver said something about it looking better if I was with you guys during the speech." Naida shrugged her shoulders. Casting a grin at Penelope, she added, "So here I am."

"It's better to publicly display you have royalty backing you... Especially when you're going to be trying to also discredit the king's own idea of getting aid from Gorm." Oliver explained softly.

"Yes, yes that's all well and good but there's no time to discuss this now. Everyone grab a wine glass and spoon." Dimia said impatiently as she waved a servant forward. The young man carried a tray of four empty glasses and spoons, offering them with a respectful bow to the group of nobles.

Penelope picked up one of each and stepped aside to let the others collect their own. Dimia silently shifted into place and directed the others as well, taking up the left side of Penelope with Oliver while pointing Naida to slip up onto her right. Once they were in place, Dimia motioned for them to lift their glasses and began to clink the spoons against them in order to draw in the attention of the crowd now that the music had ceased.

[Rogue Sloth]

“You’re going to be amazing,” Crow nodded when Penelope said she would see him after. He could still see the nervousness written on her face, but he hoped she had calmed down enough to deliver a compelling speech to her intoxicated audience. As she walked away, he followed her with his eyes, leaning back against the cool, stone wall behind him. From his current vantage point, he didn’t have the best view of the pedestal where Oliver and Naida—he wondered what his sister was doing up there—were already gathered, but he chose not to move. If the knight needed to find his face in the crowd for reassurance at any point, he wanted her to know exactly where to find him.

Alone now, the viceroy stifled a yawn brought on from the long day and all the dancing he had been doing. He folded his arms over his chest and looked idly over the other nobles, most of whom didn’t seem to notice that the serious part of the party was beginning soon. A smirk curved his lip when he saw one of the men in the back of the ballroom stumble and fall. If he remembered correctly, that particular duke had been on the betting list that he and his half-siblings had made of the people they thought would make fools of themselves that night. It looked like he owed Willow another gold coin.

“I never had a chance, did I?”

Crow blinked and turned toward the sound of a feminine voice to see that Fye had approached him after Penelope left. The noblewoman had an amused look on her face as she met his gaze. “The Vermillion girl. You don’t want to just be friends with her, do you?”

The viceroy studied her quietly, surprised that she had caught on so quickly. He hadn’t thought that just touching the knight’s back would have been enough to give him away. At least she didn’t seem to realize that he and Penelope were already together. “Guilty,” he held up his hands with a lopsided smile, deciding there was no harm in playing along. Confessing interest alone wasn’t enough to hurt the knight’s reputation.

“Hm,” Fye smiled at him. “She was the knight assigned to that mission in Younis two years ago, wasn’t she?”

“Correct again,” Crow confirmed.

“That’s a long time to be smitten with someone,” she shifted to lean against the wall beside him, just close enough to brush his arm with hers. “Are you ever going to court her?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, safely treading the middle ground. “I’m sure you already know what I want to do, but as you can see, she has a lot going on.” He gestured with a wave of his hand toward the pedestal, where Penelope and the others were setting up to begin the speech.

“Well, that’s what you’d get if you chose a knight,” Fye looked up at him with a smirk. “Most of us aren’t that career driven.”

“I like that she is,” Crow mirrored her expression.

“Then best of luck to you,” the noblewoman chuckled.

“Thanks,” he turned back to Penelope just as everyone on the pedestal began signaling for the crowd’s attention. The speech was about to start.

[BuzzingBee]

Once they had the attention of the crowd, Dimia shifted her gaze expectantly onto Penelope, who was a bit froze by the feeling of her heart racing in her chest. This was it. There was no more almost time or soon to bes for the speech. Now was the time and the knight was afraid her mind was about to go blank with panic despite all of the preparation she had done for this very moment. She felt a subtle nudge from her right and glanced over to see Naida shoot her an encouraging grin. It also reminded her that she had Crow in the crowd as well. Feeling a little better by having her friend near her and a place for her eyes to go if she got too anxious, she took a deep breath and took a step forward to address the crowd.

"G-Good evening." she tried not to cringe outwardly as she stumbled slightly over the first word. "We'd like to take a moment to thank you all for being here tonight. I'd also like to take a moment to thank the people besides me for making this magnificent party possible." She gestured to the Lenz's and Naida, casting them a small smile before her gaze focused back out on the crowd. Reminding herself of the tips that Oliver had given her, she fixed her postured, standing with more confidence than she actually felt, and focused her gaze out into the crowd.

"However, there is a more serious reason for why this celebration came about. Because, while we may be able to enjoy a grand event here in the safety of the castle, there are many more on the warfront that are unable to." Now that she was going into the true topic she wished to discuss, she felt herself trying to avoid the looks of many of the nobles. For a moment, her gaze darted around, lost until she was able to catch a glimpse of Crow towards the back. To ease her nerves, she focus on him for a short time as she began to continue her speech.

"The war between us and Younis has gone on for a year. Countless numbers of our people, both peasant and noble alike, have been lost to a war that has shown no signs of ending. Brothers, sisters, friends all gone now with nothing to show for their brave sacrifice aside from the tears their loved ones have cried over a grave. My time on the warfront showed me more of that than I ever cared to see. Winning a means nothing out there." Gaining passion as she spoke, she swept her gaze over the crowd. "This war needs to end. It is draining our kingdom. It takes away good people and dries us of our resources. Of wealth."

She took a small breath, unable to gauge what the audience was thinking of her words yet. There was no immediate protest or disagreement. They just seemed to be listening and she hoped that was good thing. It at least gave her the confidence to continue with her argument. "Now I'm sure most of you already know of the king's plan to seek an alliance with the kingdom of Gorm. While the plan may be decent, I don't believe it'll be worth while. Seeking an alliance with Gorm means the war will continue for even longer and continue to hurt our great kingdom. There is no guarantee Gorm will take up the king on his offer and even if they do, it could be months before they're fully prepared to send out aid to our warfronts.

"And what is to stop Younis from doing something similar? Pulling in another kingdom may just make for a bigger war rather than an end to this one." The thought of Toreus' warning crossed her mind. "What we need is to settle this brutal war in a peaceful manner. Since I left the warfront, I have been working to make this happen. I have received multiple letters from knights, lieutenants, and barons who have been fighting this war for much longer than myself, all voicing their agreement. If we try to end things peacefully, the war may end in only a couple months, rather than continuing for longer just to acquire help from another kingdom."

The knight flashed a hopeful smile, trying to hide as much of the nervousness as she could, at the crowd. "So tonight, I ask all of you to lend your voice in helping end this war in a peaceful manner."

On cue, Oliver took a step forward to join Penelope, gesture to a couple servants with a flick of his wrist. The servants, with well rehearsed elegance, hurried out with a table. They quickly set it up with a scroll, quills and ink jars. "For the rest of the evening, this petition will be out for those of you who wish to join our cause." he said, in a voice that was louder and more authoritative than Penelope thought possible of the usually quiet nobleman.

"I urge you all to consider it." Penelope said, giving a small curtsy to the crowd. "Regardless of whether you decide to join us or not, we thank you for your time and hope you continue to enjoy the rest of the party."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow watched expectantly as Penelope prepared herself to address the crowd. Even though she was nervous, he was curious to see what kind of speech she would give. In the time he’d known her, he had never seen the knight take command of anything—at least, not on this scale. She had seemed comfortable enough giving him directions and instructions when they had been in Younis long ago, and he had heard that she’d been a catalyst for change in her battalion. The ability to lead was there. He had just never witnessed it for himself.

You can do it, Penelope, he thought hopefully, standing up a little straighter when she stumbled over her introduction to the crowd. It was hard for him to imagine what she was feeling as she spoke to a group of people as large as this. He had only been in a similar position twice in his life, the first being his public trail before the last king, when he had been sentenced to life in prison, and the second being his titling ceremony a few weeks ago. In both cases, he hadn’t needed to prepare a monologue to appease the people though. What she was doing now was far more demanding.

“She sounds nervous,” Fye whispered, leaning closer to the viceroy to keep the other nobles around them from overhearing her speak.

“Wouldn’t you be?” Crow casted her a sideways glance. “This room is packed.”

“But I’m not a lieutenant,” she pointed out, turning back to the stage. “Let’s just hope the audience is too drunk to notice her lack of confidence.”

The former thief rolled his eyes. Fye was generally pleasant company, but she was still a noblewoman. He supposed he should have expected her to be critical of the knight’s performance. Looking up at the pedestal as well, he caught Penelope’s gaze. She must have been seeking him out for reassurance. He offered her a smile and a subtle nod to encourage her to go on. Despite her evident nerves and Fye’s opinion about it all, he thought she was doing a good job.

Perhaps his gesture had helped or perhaps the gods had suddenly struck her with the gift of charisma, but for the rest of the speech, Crow stared at Penelope in amazement as she commanded the stage with newfound authority. He’d already known that she had the qualities of a leader, but it was something else entirely to see her take charge of a room with such honesty and passion that he couldn’t help but soak up every word. Discreetly, he glanced around at the other nobles to find that her description of the war and what needed to be done seemed to be affecting them as well. Almost every face was enraptured, and a few had even begun whispering amongst themselves. He caught the mentions of death and lost funds among the topics they discussed in lowered voices.

By the end of the speech, a proud grin spread over the viceroy’s features, and he applauded her with just as much enthusiasm as the rest of the crowd. If her heartfelt request didn’t convince the nobles to join her cause, he didn’t know what would.

“That was… better than I was expecting,” Fye, whom Crow had forgotten existed for a moment, said in a bewildered voice. “She certainly got her act together.”

“She’s good at that,” Crow agreed fondly. Turning to the noblewoman, he nudged her arm. “So, are you going to sign the petition?”

“I think I will,” she smiled back at him. Taking a step away from the wall, she smoothed down her lavish dress. “Good luck with her, Collin. She’s a catch.”

“I know,” he sighed. Parting ways with Fye, he made his way around the edge of the room in the hopes of catching her before she was swarmed again with more admirers. Already, nobles were making their way over to the table that had been set up with the petition papers. He smiled to himself, thrilled to see that the knight’s plan was working. He just hoped the signatures would be enough.

[BuzzingBee]

Having said her peace, she stepped off the stage. As soon as she did, she felt noticed her legs felt like jelly and her heart was racing in her chest. She might have been able to get through most of the speech rather smoothly but the anxiousness had still affected the knight out. The one thing that kept her heart racing with excitement was the rather enthusiastic applause that she received at the end. Before she could even get a step further, she felt two hands pat her on the back and glanced around to notice that Naida and Dimia had joined her off the stage.

"You killed it!" Naida grinned with excitement.

"You think?" Penelope gave a soft laugh. "I feel like I messed up at the beginning."

"Penelope, you haven't looked over at the table have you?" Dimia smirked in amusement and gestured over to where several nobles were moving towards the table where Oliver remained, kindly overseeing it and personally thanking those who signed it. The knight's eyes visibly widened with surprise, making the noblewoman snort in laughter. "I think you may have seriously pulled this off. I'm glad I bet my money on the right horse. Come on your highness, we better move before we get caught up in any swarm being around her."

Naida laughed a little and shot Penelope a smirk. "I'll find you again once you're back with us." she said giving her awe-struck friend a playful nudge. Turning, she headed off in a separate direction to join the party once more while Dimia moved to join Oliver. Momentarily leaving Penelope alone.

Penelope felt a swell of emotions in her chest, mainly all of them positive unlike the ones leading up to the event. If as many nobles as she saw moving towards the petition, there was a real shot of her convincing the king. Everything seemed to actually fall into place and the knight couldn't have been happier. Of course, there was still the matter of actually presenting it to the king, but for now, she choose to celebrate this victory. And she knew exactly who she wanted to celebrate it with. Immediately her eyes began to flicker around looking for Crow amongst the crowd. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to find him fast enough.

"Well, well.. I must say I'm quite impressed with you, Miss Vermillion." The low voice of Kane caught her attention along with the smell of alcohol on his breath.

She blinked and looked over at the tipsy nobleman, offering a polite smile. "Thanks. I'm glad I managed to exceed expectations then."

"You certainly did." Kane nodded, crossing his arms. "I thought perhaps Oliver was just too taken with your features but I see now that you're more than that." He swept his eyes over her. "I was wondering if perhaps I could have the honor of one more dance with you tonight?"

"I—" Penelope paused, noticing two things. The first was Crow, who was making his way from the edge of the room towards and the second was Cedric who was finishing signing the petition and kept glancing in her direction. Knowing him, he was likely going to try to approach her again. Reminded of what had happened before the speech, she wanted to avoid him. "—I'm sorry but I think I'm done dancing for the night.. I have a couple other matters to attend to before this night's over. It was wonderful to meet you though, Kane." She gave a polite dip of her head.

"That's a pity." Kane sighed, seeming genuinely disappointed. He offered her a charming smile though. "And likewise. I hope our paths cross again soon."

Penelope shot him a smile before slipping away from him. Leaving behind the nobleman, she made her way through the crowd, trying to avoid getting stop as she moved to meet Crow halfway.

[Rogue Sloth]

It seemed Crow wasn’t the only nobleman eager to congratulate Penelope on her speech. He slowed his pace as he watched another man he didn’t know step up to speak with her. A weary sigh escaped his lips. It was exhausting playing a game of tug-o-war with everyone else who was vying for her attention this evening. He was glad that she had managed to impress so many people though. Of course, there were still a few stragglers around the edges of the ballroom who were refusing to sign the petition, but the majority of the crowd had been convinced. All that was left now was to wait and find out what his father had to say about the long list of names opposing his plan to ally with Gorm.

Approaching the knight at a slower pace, he smiled when she caught his gaze. However, the expression faded slightly when he noticed her glance toward someone else: Cedric was hurrying to finish giving his signature so he could catch her next. A twinge of annoyance made the viceroy clench his jaw, and he hurried to meet her before her former suitor could even take a step away from the table. After what the male knight had done to her earlier, he wasn’t about to let him get between them again.

When he reached Penelope, he stopped a respectable distance away even though he wished he could sweep her into an embrace. “That was incredible,” he shook his head, still in disbelief that such a compelling speech had come out of her mouth. “My gods, love, you really know how to keep a man on his toes, don’t you? I had no idea you could speak like that.” His gaze wandered to the table again, where Oliver and Dimia were now organizing a queue because so many people had come over to sign the papers. Whatever the king had to say about it, the petition was going to be a powerful collection of voices in favor of ending the war.

And, better yet, Penelope’s role in the party was over.

Sidling a little closer to the knight, Crow casted her a coy smile and spoke in a low voice, “You know, now that you’re done, we don’t have to stick around any longer… Want to get out of here and celebrate without the audience?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope grinned as she finally reached Crow. With the success of her speech, the knight was beaming and wished she could throw her arms around the viceroy in celebration. Unfortunately, that was still one more hurdle they'd have to cross at a different time, though she was hopeful that it'd be sooner rather than later. Keeping herself in check despite the happiness she felt, she made sure to keep her hands at her sides and a distance between them.

As he complimented her, Penelope gave a small giggle at his words and shrugged her shoulders. "I honestly didn't even think I did that well. I'm glad I was wrong though. Or perhaps my audience was just the right amount of drunk." she mused with a glance over towards the table. No matter if it was the alcohol in their systems or her speaking capabilities, the knight was just joyful that their plan was working. With everything on track, she was hopeful that she'd have similar luck once she went to speak with the king. She had gathered quite a few powerful voices in her efforts so he couldn't just ignore her. They had a real fighting chance of ending the war.

Penelope raised an eyebrow at Crow as he shifted a little closer to her and lowered his voice. Her heart fluttered at the offer of getting away from the others to spend alone time—true alone time—with him. However, she wondered if it was a wise move. After her speech, even she couldn't help but noticed the high increase of eyes on her. Slipping out and way from the crowd would be much more difficult now. "I certainly like the sound of that but," she frowned slight and glanced around the room, silently noting the different sets of eyes on them. "do you really think we can get out of here without being noticed? We have quite a few eyes on us and I don't think that'll change soon enough."

[Rogue Sloth]

“I’m sober, and I thought it was great,” Crow pointed out with a smirk. He liked seeing Penelope look so happy after she had felt stressed about the speech and guilty when Cedric had kissed her. In his opinion, it was a great end to the night. As long as they could get out of the ballroom without any more interruptions, that was. He was well aware of the other people who were watching them, lying in wait for their chance to speak to the knight. However, almost every one of the noblemen had flushed faces. If they were careful, he was sure they could slip out without anyone realizing they were gone.

“They’re not as alert as they look,” the viceroy shrugged when Penelope pointed out the people keeping an eye on them. “We can leave at separate times just in case anyone happens to notice. I doubt anyone will care if I’m gone, but you can make up an excuse if you find it harder to get away.” He paused, his eyes flicking to Cedric, who looked like he was still considering approaching her. Even though he didn’t like the thought of leaving her alone while her former suitor was around, it would be easier if he went first. He just hoped the other man wouldn’t prevent her from following after him.

“All we need is a meeting place,” he mused softly, considering the next step of the plan. “My bedchamber is out of the question. The castle may be pretty empty right now, but there are still guards posted on the upper levels, since my father and the queen are in their quarters right now. They would find it strange if they saw you wandering around up there at this hour.” He turned back to her expectantly. “Do you have any other ideas? I’ll can go ahead and meet you there.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope listened as Crow pointed out that the people watching them weren't as alert as she thought. Glancing around the room again, she supposed he was right. Most of the nobles were slightly intoxicated by now. While it still might be a challenge to get past everyone, she had snuck around much more observant and sober guards before just to meet up with the thief. There might have been less places for her to hide and many eyes,but the silent reminder made her a bit more confident about being able to sneak away without anyone catching them.

"Alright, I think I can manage that." she mused, unintentionally following his gaze over to where Cedric was. She pursed her lips noticing that the other knight had yet to completely let her out of his side. It seemed that grabbing more time with her still wasn't off the table and made her all the more eager to sneak off with the man she loved. As Crow drew her attention back onto him, she crossed her arms thoughtfully as he mentioned needing a meeting place. Of course not all of the castle guards had been free to go to the party, some had to work that night to make sure the castle was still secure.

However, the party still likely meant there had been cut backs on how many guards were in certain areas. It was just a matter of remembering where they usually cut down guards first.

The most obvious answer was on the bottom floor near the kitchen and servants quarters. A couple likely guarded the main entrance so not just anyone could come in but there were like far fewer elsewhere on the bottom floor. That didn't help them anyways because the only place she would know of to go down there was just a supply closet and those hadn't proved to be the best method of stealing time alone. The next place she thought of was the garden. The courtyard itself was usually rather exposed and often had a few knights patrolling. With the party going on, she figured most of them would be keeping near the walls incase some criminal attempted to sneak in, meaning that the garden would likely be easy access.

She was just about to suggest that when a more simple solution popped into her mind. "I might have a couple ideas." she told him with a small smile. Lowering her voice she explained, "We may not be able to go to your bedchamber but we could likely get to mine. There will be fewer guards near the knight's quarters so I'm sure you could sneak past the couple that are there." A grin crossed her lips as she looked up at him with a hopeful gaze. "What do you think?"

[Rogue Sloth]

“I like it,” Crow grinned when Penelope suggested her bedchamber. He remembered where it was, so he was sure he could find it on his own while she stayed at the party to tie up loose ends with the other nobles. Getting past a couple guards would be child’s play for him too. All he needed was a simple distraction to coax them to abandon their posts, which he was sure wouldn’t take much, since palace guards were always bored out of their minds in his experience. Even better, it would look completely normal for her to walk back, since they were meeting in her room. Only one of them would need a distraction at all.

“I’ll see you there, love,” he winked at her playfully before dipping back into the crowd. He was sure Cedric would swoop in now that she was alone, but he trusted that Penelope would shut down any further physical advances from her former suitor. Plus, his excitement about spending some time alone with her drowned out the lingering frustrations he felt toward the male knight. Cedric might fit in a few more words with her, but the former thief was going to have her all to himself soon enough. He couldn’t wait.

To prevent their plans from becoming too obvious, he chatted briefly with a few of the other men and women he’d invited to the party before he discreetly slipped out the door. As he’d expected, the castle was eerily quiet outside the ballroom. Almost every noble in the building was crammed into the decorated room or had already retired to their bedchambers. The only people still out were the few night guards who had been posted to keep watch during the festivities.

The viceroy made a show of yawning as he walked away down the nearly empty hallway, so the knights would just think he had left early because he was tired. However, as soon as he was out of their sight, he hastened his pace, eager to get to Penelope’s room before anyone else decided to turn in for the night.

He made it to the corridor that led to the castle guards’ quarters and found that there were, in fact, two guards stationed around the corner. Both had half-closed eyelids and slouched shoulders that made him wonder if they’d notice if he just walked right in front of their noses. Deciding not to play with that fire, he knocked a pebble loose from the tread of his boot and tossed it down the adjoining hall. The knights perked up slightly at the sound and drew their swords as they wandered off to investigate the source of the noise.

With the passage clear, Crow slipped through silently and ducked into the corridor that would take him the rest of the way to Penelope’s bedchamber.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope was glad to hear that Crow approved of her suggestion. The knight smiled as he winked at her playfully and nodded her head in confirmation. Her gaze followed him for a moment before she turned to walk the opposite way, moving more casually through the crowd as she waited for him to leave first. Of course, it was only a matter of a few moments before Cedric swooped in now that she was alone. She caught sight of the male knight making his way over to her from the corner of her eye. She turned to shoot him a glare and while it seemed to catch him off guard, it didn't stop him.

Seeming to realize she was furious with him, he approached her with a hesitance and offered her a soft smile. "You were amazing up there. I think you convince just about everyone in this room." he said.

"Thanks but you're the last person I feel like talking to right now." Penelope grumbled as she took a step away from him. Now that her initial shock had faded away and her worries about Crow being put to rest, she was left feeling resentment towards her former suitor for putting her in such a position.

A hurt expression crossed his face. "Penelope I didn't mean any offense early. It was just a kiss."

Penelope clenched her jaw. "You don't understand, I—" she hesitated for a second, catching herself mid-scolding. As much as she wanted to be direct and just say she was spoken for, she couldn't. Not yet at least. "—it was a kiss I had no interest in receiving. And right before my speech too. Just leave me alone, Cedric."

"Penelope, wait." As she turned to leave, she felt him catch her by her wrist. The touch made her quickly yank her arm out of his grasp, sending him another cold look that he shrunk under. "Ok I messed up." he said holding up his hands and taking a step back to give her space. "I was impulsive and didn't think it'd hurt you like this. I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to upset you, I was just hoping you'd remember what you had once felt for me.. The good parts at least."

"Well it did the opposite." the knight muttered bitterly. While she was still mad at him, her fire died down slightly. He didn't seem to have been coming from a malicious stand point and besides that, he didn't know that she was already taken. Reminded that Cedric likely thought he had simply kissed an unattached woman, she felt slightly less frustrated with him. However, she refused to pass any real judgement on him until she thought it over more as watched his behavior a bit more cautiously. At the moment, all she wanted to do was get to her room. "Now leave me alone Cedric. If you're looking for forgiveness, you won't be getting it tonight."

This time the male knight didn't try to stop her as she headed off. After her run in with Cedric, she subtly searched the crowd to locate Crow. When she didn't find him, the knight figured that he had left sometime during the exchange with Cedric. Feeling a thrill of excitement, she began to make her way towards the exit of the ballroom, which proved to be much more difficult than she originally expected it would be. Several times she got stopped by various noblemen who wanted to chat or ask her to dance. She was able to brush off most of them by appearing busy but a couple stubborn ones made her stick around longer than she would have liked. She used the excuse of needing to get some air alone.

Eventually the knight made it out of the ballroom and from there it was an easy shot to her own room without any worry of someone attempting to stop her. Penelope let out a breath of relief, nearly feeling a bit smothered by the sudden attention. Picking up her pace slightly, she hurried off to her room, luckily without anymore interruptions. As she reached it, she glanced around the corridor before stepping inside and softly closing the door behind her.

[Rogue Sloth]

As time passed, Crow began to wonder if Penelope had been able to sneak away from the party at all. He reclined on her bed with his arms propped underneath his head and his gaze fixed on the stone ceiling. After the busyness of the day, it was tempting to nod off, but he refrained from the urge. He had come to the knight’s room to spend time with her, and, knowing how she always put other’s needs before her own, he had a feeling she would just let him sleep if she saw him passed out when she arrived. So, he forced himself to get up and pace a bit to keep his blood flowing, so he would be alert by the time she showed up.

With so much extra time, his thoughts wandered back to the party and the results of the knight’s speech. She really had done an impressive job. Hearing her speak to an audience with such authority made him realize what a natural leader she was, and reassured him that he’d made the right choice when he had taken the title of viceroy. There would have been ways for her to use her talents in the outer villages too, but she could do far more good as a high-ranking noblewoman in the inner kingdom. If their efforts to end the war panned out, he was curious to see where her efforts would take her next.

Stopping in the center of the room, Crow let his gaze wander over her plain bedchamber. There wasn’t much around besides the bed and a desk in the corner, but he wondered if there was a way he could surprise her. She certainly deserved to be treated specially after all the hard work she’d put into the party over the last week. Deciding to be more productive with the time he had—and giving himself something to do to stave off boredom—he ambled over to the desk and began rifling through the drawers.

Unsurprisingly, all he could find were practical items. The same went for the dresser where she kept her clothes. Crossing his arms, the viceroy drummed his fingers against his bicep in thought. He didn’t have many options, so he would just have to make do with what he had. He went back to the desk and crouched down to look over the utensils in the bottom drawer one more time. As he did, an idea crossed his mind that made him grin. There was one thing he could do.

Gathering the spare candles and chambersticks from the desk, he placed them around the small room on the table, windowsill and floor near the wall. Once he liked the way they looked, he lit the arrangement with a couple matches and put out the lantern that had been glowing steadily in the corner of the bedchamber. In the dark, the candles were just bright enough to cast a low, orange radiance that danced on the walls of the room. He watched the display with interest until the doorknob rattled behind him. It seemed he’d finished just in time.

Turning around, Crow casted Penelope a mischievous smile and gestured with one hand to the ambiance he’d created for them, “Surprise.”

[BuzzingBee]

As Penelope stepped into the room, her gaze immediately landed onto Crow. A smile started to grow on her lips, glad to see that he had made it in with as little trouble as she figured he would, but was quickly stunned by what was also waiting for her in her room. Her gaze traveled over the warm but low glow of the candles he had place all around her room. It was a thoughtful touch that made her heart swell with affection for the former thief. She found the unexpected set up of the candles sweet and only served to add to the nearly perfect night she seemed to be having. Any remaining issues or fury with Cedric had been pushed out the window as soon as she had left the ballroom. Now all she cared to think about was the man in front of her.

"Well I was about to apologize for making you wait so long but now I'm thinking maybe I should test your patience more often." the female knight said with a low whistle as she study the crackling light of the candles. Her gaze softened as she felt her heart swell again. "It's lovely, Crow."

Focusing her gaze back onto him an affectionate smile took over her lips and she suddenly felt overwhelmed by the fact that they were completely alone for the first time in a long time. She stepped fast to close the distance between them and threw her arms around him like she had been want to do all night. After going so long with getting away with quick and usually friendly mannered touches, the lack of distance between them now sent her heart racing. If there's one thing the forced distance did it was make his touch excite her.

Leaning up, she pressed a passionate kiss to his lips, savoring the feeling as she did. Eventually she pulled back and nestled her face against his neck, lightly brushing her lips against him as she did. "Gods I've missed you." she breathed.

[Rogue Sloth]

Delighted by Penelope’s reaction to his impromptu idea, Crow’s mischievous smile turned affectionate. He enjoyed watching her look over the room before his eyes drifted down to the dress that adorned her body. In the low light provided by the candles, the fabric’s gold color seemed to have an unearthly glow to it, adding to the attractive features it already accentuated on her figure. He loved the way it looked on her. He also couldn’t wait to take it off.

“If I do this every time, the novelty will wear off,” the viceroy objected with a laugh. “But I suppose I can try more often since you like it so much.” As her gaze landed on him again, a thrill of excitement shot up his spine, and he wasted no time wrapping his arms around the small of her back when she rushed into him. The feeling of their lips meeting so passionately stole his breath away and made his heart pound in his chest. It had been far too long since they had last been able to kiss each other this way. He hadn’t realized just how much he’d longed to close the distance between them.

When she pulled back, he panted lightly, trying to quell the lightheadedness that had set in while he’d gotten lost in her lips. “I missed you too,” he murmured, closing his eyes as she teased the skin of his neck. Every little touch felt amplified after they had spent so much time apart, and he wondered if tonight, the feeling of her lithe body against his and her slender fingers on his back would drive him mad.

There was only one way to find out.

The mischievous smile returned to his face just before he swept his arm behind Penelope’s legs, lifting her into his arms and carrying her over to the bed. As he set her down on the mattress, he climbed up as well and straddled her hips, leaning down to kiss her again. His hands slid down her sides and then back up again, following the length of her arms until he twined his fingers with hers above her head. Even though he was eager to push for more, there was no rush. No one knew where they were, and no one would come looking for them for hours. He took his sweet time as he trailed his lips against her jawline.

“I’ve wanted you for so long…” he whispered, his voice breathy with desire. He pressed another kiss to her soft lips and met her gaze in the dark. “I love you so much, Penelope.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope blinked in surprise as he suddenly swept her off of her feet. A small giggle escaped her lips and she kept her arms loosely wrapped around him as he carried her over to the bed, enjoying the gesture. As he set her down on the mattress, she laid back and eagerly met his lips again as he climbed up. Having him so close after keeping a formal distance for so long made her eager to lose all barriers between them, however, she still relished the more simple touches and wanted to savor them just as much. Sleep was not a concern to her. After an a slight adrenaline rush from the speech and then simply too fueled with energy from her excitement over her success and getting away with Crow, the knight had no plans to rest any time soon. There was no telling if her father would give Crow his blessing soon or when they'd be able to sneak off together again so the knight want to enjoy every part of the night they did have together.

The knight felt her face grow warm at his breathy words and she leaned into the kiss. "I love you too, Collin." she murmured as she looked up at him, drinking in his features. Off handedly, she noticed a faint orange glow from one of the candles catch in his light green eyes, making them look even more warm than they already were. The looks he gave her were enough to make her feel overwhelmed with just as much affection for him as desire. Slipping a hand from his, she reached up to brush back a stray strand of his hair and caressed the side of his face as she brought her hand back down.

Feeling a bit flirtatious, she leaned up to kiss him again, this time giving his bottom lip a soft, playful bite as she pulled back. "You're all I want." she breathed softly before moving to press kisses down his down his neck. Absently, her free hand trailed slowly down his chest, only stopping once she reached the belt of his shirt. She toyed with it, her slender fingers managing to undo it relatively swiftly. She was particularly eager of getting it off of him since she had felt it scrape against her a couple times when she had pressed against him. Of course, the knight kept that tidbit to herself.

[Rogue Sloth]

As Penelope stared up at him, Crow did the same down at her. He couldn’t help but marvel how beautiful she looked in the candlelight, and he wished he’d thought of the gesture sooner. The low light gave her fair skin a warm glow and accentuated every detail and curve of her body with deep shadows. As she gazed at him with so much affection, he felt like the luckiest man alive. Not many others could boast of having such a gorgeous woman who looked at them the way she did.

Technically, he couldn’t boast about it either, since they were keeping their relationship a secret, but instead of letting himself be frustrated by that, he decided to let it drive him. Sneaking away from the party to be with her in the privacy of her bedchamber had been exciting. They were supposed to be making small talk with other nobles right now, not tangling themselves in the sheets. The stakes were high, but they only made it all the more thrilling to be with her tonight.

As she caressed his face, he leaned into her touch, taking in every stroke of her fingers against his jaw. He closed his eyes when she kissed him again and laughed when she nipped his bottom lip. Her playfulness was endearing. He wrapped one hand behind her neck and held her by the waist with the other, letting out a sigh as she moved to the sensitive skin of his neck. The breathy words that followed threatened to send him over the edge, and he bit his lip as a tremor seized his body. “Gods, you make me crazy,” he shook his head, smiling at her incredulously.

The moment Penelope removed his belt was when Crow lost his last thread of self-control. He pressed into her with fervor, kissing her roughly along her neck as his hands located the fastening of her dress. The clothing was flattering on her, but right now, it was in the way. He tugged the strings open and ran his hands over her chest without breaking the work he was doing on her collar. With every article they stripped away, his heart raced even more until he wondered if it might burst. If it did, at least he would have the pleasure of knowing he’d gone out in the best possible way.

Feeling sensual, he trailed his tongue from the base of her neck to her ear, which he took between his teeth before finding her lips again. He kissed her deeply while his fingers tangled in her hair, certifiably undoing the braid it had been meticulously styled into earlier that day. “It’s a good thing we met in your bedchamber,” he joked breathily as he took notice of the damage he was doing to her appearance. “I don’t think you could go anywhere in the castle looking like this.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope slipped her arms around him as he pressed into her, further encouraging for a lack of distance between them. The knight bit down on her bottom lip at the feeling of his lips roughly kissing down her neck. His loss of self-control only fueled her own as she let her hands roam over his back while he undid the fastening of her dress. Despite biting her lip to suppress it, a low moan escaped her lips as his hands ran over her chest while continuing to kiss at her collar. Her heart raced wildly, his touch feeling plenty familiar but yet the time apart making it feel just as exciting as if it was new.

As he trailed his tongue up from the base of her neck, she shivered at the feeling. Meeting his lips with vigor, she brought a hand to rest against his cheek while the other slipped to the hem of his undershirt. When he pulled back, the knight rolled her eyes at his words and gave a soft laugh. "Yes unfortunately I don't think you help very much with keeping me looking prim and proper." Penelope said with a coy smirk. She ran a hand through her hair, undoing what was left of the braid so that her hair now fell freely around her. "Not that I mind, of course."

Looking down at the rest of her appearance, namely her untied dress. An idea crossed her mind and the knight shot him a mischievous grin. In the next moment, she hooked a leg behind his and rolled them over so that she was on top instead, straddling his hips. She leaned down and pressed a deep kiss to his lips. As she pulled back, she casted him a playful wink. In a rather sultry and slow manner, she gathered up her dress and slipped it off, tossing it down to the side of the bed. With her clothing off, she leaned back into him, pressing kisses along his jawline as her hands made their way down to the hem of his shirt.

"Dresses really make this situation so unfair." she sighed teasingly against his skin.

[Rogue Sloth]

“Who cares about proper?” Crow grinned at Penelope as she freed her hair from the twine that tied it. “I think this is much more fun.” Her mischievous grin caught him by surprise just before she flipped him onto his back so she was on top. The bed beneath them let out a low groan with the shift in weight, and he smirked to himself, thankful for the stone walls around them that would help to keep the sounds from escaping the knight’s bedchamber. He just hoped no one would happen to hear them through the door.

As she met his lips again, he gripped her by her thighs, enjoying the sudden spontaneity. His eyes tracked her movement when she pulled back again, following her hands as she lifted her dress over her head. It had been weeks since the last time he’d seen her naked, so the sight of her completely bare, straddling his hips with her legs, was intoxicating. He trailed his fingers over her skin, slower this time as he simply enjoyed the view before him.

His arms snaked around her back when she leaned into him a second time, and he returned her kiss with equal desire. “Maybe next time, we’ll switch,” he teased, touching his lips to her cheek. “You wear the tunic, and I’ll wear the dress. Then we’ll be even.” He winked at her jokingly and pressed in to kiss her again, letting her slip off his shirt while he ran his hand over her sensuously.

Clothing fell to the floor in a haphazard heap, and temperatures rose despite the chill in the room. Crow lost his sense of time as he and Penelope closed what little distance remained between them, tangled together in the throes of passion. When it was over, he laid on his side, panting lightly as he held her in his arms. He had pulled the blanket over them to keep the cold air at bay, but now its warmth was tempting him to drift off. He closed his eyes and buried his face into her hair, pulling her to his chest in an embrace.

“I’m going to sleep soundly tonight,” he yawned, smiling dreamily as he nuzzled her neck with his cheek. “I just wish I could sleep right here.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope let out a long breath as she laid back with her head rested against her pillow. The knight had a dazed look in her gaze after their time together. Though normally more dignified and in control of herself thanks to practiced caution, she had found a bit difficult to keep quiet during their passion. Eventually she had just used the pillow to muffle herself. Letting out a small yawn, she found that weariness was finally beginning to hit her and after a long day of stressing, dancing, and sleeping with Crow, it was hitting rather hard.

The warmth of his embrace made her even more tempted to close her eyes. Penelope smiled softly as she felt him bury his face into her hair and pull her closer. Turning to him, she leaned down to touch an affectionate kiss to the top of his head. "I wish you could too." she murmured softly, absently trailing her fingertips over his arm. "The bed will definitely be colder without you." She added with a small sigh. Disliking the thought of having to part soon, she shifted to snuggle as closely as she could against him and rest her head against him.

"I just hope were closer to getting there now that the party's over." she added sleepily, partly forcing herself to keep talking in order to avoid dozing off. However, it was a thought that crossed her mind. While she felt hopeful about Crow getting her father's blessing, that didn't exactly mean they'd be married within a week. No, they would just be courting and even though they could at least make their relationship public, they'd still have to sneak around to be together like this since it was usually frowned upon in most courtships to been in bed together before marriage. There was also no telling how long the courtship would be. Or rather how long her father expected it to be. She'd marry him as soon as possible but she was afraid that her father would enforce the usual tradition of at least courting for a half a year. "It'll be nice to be public about our relationship but gods I have a feeling courtship is going to have a few pains as well.. Especially if my father insists on making it long." she muttered with a soft sigh.