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

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow’s eyes wandered over his surroundings as they walked down the road. Large houses and tall buildings lined the sidewalks, and stiff-backed people milled about in lavish attire. Though everyone in Younis seemed to have money, this particular crowd looked a bit more well off. The castle wouldn’t be much farther if this kingdom was laid out like Brerra. He swallowed nervously. Even though he continued to tell himself that he and Penelope would succeed in their mission and both make it out alive, part of him still worried they were too unprepared. The fact that his only other experience going on a raid with a partner had ended in the other man getting run through with a spear didn’t help either.

He felt Penelope squeeze his hand and looked down at her as she echoed his thoughts about the castle being close by. “Yeah,” he nodded solemnly, lowering his gaze to the ground. He held her hand a bit tighter, wishing they had more time. Almost as soon as they admitted their feelings for each other, they were going on a mission where they would be risking their lives. It all felt like a morbid joke; like the gods were mocking them for trying to be together by putting even more obstacles between them.

“I nearly think we should just start up a life here and forget about Brerra.” Penelope’s soft voice drew his attention. “But we’ve got a war to prevent.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Crow shook his head. “That thought’s already gone through my mind more times than I care to admit.” The lure to abandon everything and make a new home in Younis was hard to resist. He had to remind himself that it wasn’t possible. Even if he hadn’t pledged his help to Penelope, he couldn’t settle down here or anywhere else. He had chosen his path, and it was a dangerous one. He couldn’t stop running until he or all of the enemies he had made were dead.

Crow glanced at Penelope one more time, noticing the somber expression that had taken over her face. She looked just as concerned as he felt. He wanted to do something to make her feel better.

“I talked to Hartley about our assignment,” he admitted, slowing his pace slightly. “He told me a bit about the inner workings of the palace—not much, but enough to give me a few ideas about how to get inside.” He smirked at her. “You’re the key, darling. He said the palace servants won’t harbor a criminal like me, but they might take in a woman seeking refuge. They’ll trust you if you can convince them you’re in trouble and need their help.” He tugged on her hand, pulling her closer to plant a kiss on her forehead. “I know you can do it. You’ve become quite the little fox.”

He offered her a smile, “We’re going to be fine, so don’t worry. We’ve made it this far, haven’t we?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope glanced up at Crow as spoke. Hearing him have the beginnings of what could be an actual plan did make the knight feel a bit better. Though they still had a while to go before anything solid formed. She smirked a little and rolled her eyes at him as he called her a fox. “I may have picked up a few tricks from you.” She admitted with a small shrug.

Her smirk faded into a small smile. “Yeah, you’re right.” She agreed with him quietly. “We’ve made it through rebels, bandits and Younisian knights.” The knight recalled the past fights during their time traveling. She doubted that those troubles added up to what they were about to face but it was a nice reminder of what they were capable of handling. If we can just make it through this, the rest of the trip will be easy.. She told herself. Though it also reminded her that their worries didn’t just stop after stealing the staff, they seemed far less concerning and if they managed to be successful, Penelope had no doubts that she could face the rest of the journey with a much braver face than the one she currently wore.

“Besides, we’re not quite there yet anyways.” She mused shifting her gaze on the road ahead. The buildings and houses around them did seem a bit more luxurious than the ones from the previous towns but there was still no fortress in sight yet. “Sooo we still have some free time before we go stressing out over plans and details.” She said on a more optimistic note, partly wanting to push the upcoming raid to the back of her mind once again. Especially after yesterday had been such a nice day.

[Rogue Sloth]

“And William,” Crow teased, recounting the time he had fought with the short-tempered knight as Penelope listed all of the troubles they had overcome thus far. Looking back on it all, he felt a bit disconcerted though. It was strange how many times they had been attacked within the walls of Brerra. He couldn’t help but wonder if there was something else going on that they were missing. There was so much fuss over one mission. Even if it was to stop a war, he was surprised at the amount of backlash they had faced from people of their own kingdom. Why were so many people trying to stop them?

He looked up as Penelope went on to point out that they had some time left before they reached the castle. The new optimism on her face made him smile. Maybe she was right. Maybe they were worrying too much about something they couldn’t plan out yet. “I never thought I’d see you put play before work like this,” he gibed, nudging her blithely.

He looked at the horizon ahead of them. Even though they were in a wealthy area of Younis, the castle wasn’t yet visible in the distance. By that, he guessed they probably had at least three more days before they would reach it—plenty of time to spend doing anything besides trembling over the upcoming palace raid.

“You know,” Crow turned back to her with a grin. “It’s been a while since we’ve played my old game—the one where we exchange stories about ourselves. I’d like to learn a little more about you, if you’re willing to tell me. What was Penelope like before I met her?” He leaned in closer, lowering his voice. “I promise I’ll answer you more fairly now. No more vague replies or tricks.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smirked slightly at his taunting and shrugged her shoulders. “Not like there’s much work to be done at the moment besides walking anyways.” She said with a small laugh. “Might as well enjoy it a little. What shocks me is that you didn’t do it before me.” The knight relaxed a little now, glad to, not only switch the subject, but also push her worries aside for the time being.

She smiled in amusement as he brought up his game of exchanging stories. She blinked as he promised to answer her more directly now, which made her briefly think of all the answers he had given her to his more personal stories. It was easy to recall a few times when he had been vague or lied to her. Despite this, the knight felt like he had still shared more truthfully with her than all the lies or other such deceitful words. To her, the promise might have been unnecessary but it was still nice to hear coming from him. “Alright.” She agreed with a small nod.

“I don’t think there’s much to tell you with that question though.” Penelope said with a small laugh. The knight shrugged. “I don’t think I’ve changed too much after all... Let’s see.. Before this mission, I was just working amongst the castle guards. It was usually a pretty easy job. Just a lot of monitoring, walking around. Though we did have this crazy thief try to steal the king’s crown about a year ago.” She joked shooting him an accusing glance. “But that wasn’t even during one of my shifts.”

Penelope paused and let out a small sigh. “As you know, part of the reason I took the job was so I could see my father and brother. It was the main reason really. I spent months far from them and though I sent letters, it was rare for them to ever write back. At one point it had been so long, I got worried that something might have happened to them so when I heard about this job I jumped on it as soon as I could.. I hadn’t really dealt very much with prisoners or criminals before. I’ve help catch a couple thieves before but I was never around them very long. After all, it usually went one of three ways. They’d get away, they’d get killed, or we’d capture them and send them off with some prison guards.”

“So I wasn’t exactly the first choice. First was William because of his experience. Second was Abraxas, merely because of his efforts to become the king’s ambassador. William and I had worked together before on a few occasions so I was able to convince him rather easily that I’d be a good addition. With his recommendation, I was able to get on this mission.” She explained to Crow. “So when we first met, I acted like how I had been taught to act and how I had seen others act. Clearly it didn’t work very well.” She said with a soft laugh.

Penelope smiled as she looked over at him. “But that’s about it. What about you? Before that year in prison, I mean."

[Rogue Sloth]

“Despite common belief, I do have a serious side,” Crow rolled his eyes when Penelope said she was surprised he didn’t relax first. “I just prefer not to use it much.” He lapsed into silence as she started telling him about her life before their mission. Some of the details he had already heard, but much of her story was new. He found it interesting that she had been a palace guard for the Brerratic king and wondered if she might have some knowledge that could help them in the raid of the Younisian castle. He made a mental note to ask her more about that as they got closer.

“I think I heard about that thief too,” Crow nodded sagely. “But I’d say he was more daring than crazy. I also heard he was quite the looker.” He winked at her wryly.

As Penelope finished recounting how she and the other two knights had been chosen to guard him in Younis, he crossed his arms, “I suppose I owe William a debt of gratitude. If he hadn’t recommended you to the king, we never would have met.”

He paused to think when Penelope asked him about his life before prison, “I’ve told you a bit about when I was young, but I don’t think I’ve told you anything about my more recent past, have I?” he glanced at her in amusement. “I’m originally from a village called Myrefall. It’s actually not too far from the place we stayed right before we crossed into Younis. However, I consider the outer villages as a whole to be my home because I’ve lived in so many of them over the years.

“As I’ve told you before, I’ve always been a thief—it’s the only way of life my mother taught me—but my reputation really started after the incident with the crows. I think it was because the local knights realized all of the robberies in the village were being done by the same person, rather than by a few different people as they had previously thought.

“I have a lot of good stories from that time, but it was mostly all the same. I stole to survive, to put the knights in their place, and to help the other villagers. I also went on large raids to spread my name to the inner parts of the kingdom, where my father lives. I may be a thief because I was born into this life, but I use what I know for a lot of different purposes.” He shrugged.

“I got more ambitious within the last three years before I was caught. Before, I only robbed nobles in the inner kingdom about once or twice per season at the very most. Four years ago, however, I decided I wanted to do more. I knew I had the skills to get away with it, so I started raiding dukes, barons, lords, vassals, anyone whose name carried weight in Brerra. I’ve even gotten away with a few small heists in the king’s palace, though you might already know about those.” He smirked. “I took weapons from the vault you palace guards used—usually the quivers of the archers, but sometimes swords or other blades too.

“Those difficult raids gave me invaluable experience. I know a lot of… unorthodox methods to stealing that most thieves would never even consider using. That’s why knights from Brerra have had such a hard time trying to catch me. Traps that work against regular thieves won’t do anything to me.” His smile faltered. “Unfortunately, my constant success made me a little too cocky. I’ve heard it said that a criminal will always make a mistake if given enough time. I guess I just thought that didn’t apply to me.

“It was my own fault for getting arrested when I tried to steal the king’s crown. The night before I left for my carefully planned raid, I visited a tavern in a small town just outside of the inner kingdom. I was confident that I would get away with it, so I ran my mouth a little too much. I told everyone when I would be stealing the crown, and I didn’t realize that one of the king’s informants was among the audience. He told the king, who prepared the palace guards to stop me when I made my attempt, and that was that,” he shrugged.

“I’m glad I got caught now though,” Crow’s smile returned as he met Penelope’s gaze. “Prison was awful, but it was worth it to meet you.” He paused, thinking of another question to ask her now that he had answered hers. “You said your mother was a peasant, right? Do you know anything else about her?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope listened to Crow as he told her about his time before getting caught. She had partly known about Crow causing his own capture. Word spread around the castle like wildfire during that time when they were preparing for his attempt to steal the crown. She smiled back at him as he met her gaze. “Well, glad I could be the light at the end of the tunnel.” She said jokingly.

Her smile faltered a bit as Crow brought up her mother. She didn’t mind sharing what she knew with him but it was still a bit of a painful subject for her, especially when she barely knew anything. “I only know what my brother has told me.” Penelope admitted. “But, my brother’s view of my mother has never been great.. Anyways, yeah she was a peasant. She actually worked as a servant for my family, which was how she met my father.

“My father was married at the time to a noblewoman and they already had Layth... Layth claims that my mother seduced our father to ruin our family. But I think he’s just bitter about the past.” Penelope gave a sad smile. “I think that they just fell in love... Eventually his wife found out though and was furious. She was planning on sending my mother away, but my father stepped in. He chose the servant over his wife. So his wife left him, leaving behind Layth too. Our family was furious with his decision so they kicked my parents and Layth.” Penelope shrugged her shoulders.

“After that they lived in an outer village where my mother was from and lived with her sister for a small time. I was actually born there and even lived there for a little while. I think I was about five before we finally moved back to the family manor so I don’t really remember a lot from that time.” She explained. “But that’s all I know really..”

Penelope paused after her words as she thought about what to ask Crow. She recalled their first time playing this game and remembered that before he gave the story, he had mentioned that Crow wasn’t his real name. It wasn’t that shocking and at the time, the knight hadn’t been all that interested in digging such information out of him. However, now she founded herself slowly growing more curious. I love him but I don’t even know his first name.. She thought with some amusement. With that thought, she couldn’t help but wonder how many people out there even knew his real name. She doubted there were many, if any at all, considering both how guarded Crow was and how the lifestyle of a thief usually meant surviving alone.

The knight hesitated in asking the question. It felt a bit strange to ask after having been around him a while now, even falling for him along the way. “Crow, what is your real name?” She finally asked meeting his gaze. “Y-You don’t have to answer.. You can tell me something else if you prefer.. I was just curious."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow laughed softly when Penelope said she was the light at the end of the tunnel for him. “You most certainly were,” he grinned, giving her hand another squeeze. “And a bright one, at that.” His pulse jumped slightly as another wave of joy hit him at the thought of her being his. He felt so lucky to be with her; he would have kissed her again if they weren’t trying to cover ground quickly.

As Penelope began to tell him more about her mother, he grew quiet and listened. He found it sad that she only knew about her mother from someone who didn’t like the woman. She must have been an incredible person to have won over Penelope’s father so completely that he had abandoned his life as a nobleman to be with her.

He wondered if Penelope had ever thought about doing the same for him. They both avoided bringing up the subject of the future since everything was so complicated, but he couldn’t help being curious. After all, it was impossible for him to be a noble like her. Sure, his father was an ambassador, but the man had never reached out to Crow before and, frankly, Crow didn’t know if he wanted him to try. He had fallen for Penelope, but he still despised other nobles and their way of life. He couldn’t imagine trying to adopt their ways.

If Penelope is willing to give up everything she knows for me, I should be willing to do the same for her, he thought, although he doubted they would ever be in a situation where that would be possible for him. Even if his father somehow tried to un-disown him, the king still despised him. He would never allow a thief in his royal courts.

Crow glanced at Penelope as she became quiet. When she met his gaze again, her expression was different than before—curious, but also slightly nervous. He eyed her inquisitively, wondering what she was so apprehensive to ask him.

After a moment, she finally spoke, “Crow, what is your real name? Y-You don’t have to answer… You can tell me something else if you prefer… I was just curious.”

He blinked, caught off guard by the question. It had been so long ago that he had forgotten about mentioning to her that the name ‘Crow’ was an alias. He shook his head and sighed, “No, I told you I was going to be honest. Besides,” he smiled at her affectionately. “You deserve to know the name of the man you said you love.”

Crow shifted his weight slightly and averted his gaze as they walked. It had been almost a decade since he had last heard anyone use his real name. In fact, he doubted anyone who was still alive knew it besides himself. Someone else should know, he resolved, slowing to a stop.

He met Penelope’s gaze once more, taking a steeling breath before finally replying: “My real name is Collin… Collin Lockton.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope felt a small rush of excitement as he agreed to tell her his real name. She slowed to a stop besides him and watched as it took a moment for him to finally speak the name. She gave his hand a comforting squeeze. “Well, nice to meet you, Collin.” She joked and smiled at him fondly. The knight leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. “I like it. It fits you.”

It felt a little bit more appropriate to her than the name Crow now. Crow was know throughout all of Brerra as a wanted thief. It left little room for others to see him as anything else. Yet Penelope managed to and hearing his real name felt similar to how she had come to look past his title as a thief and see the person he was rather than just the criminal everybody knew. Now that person had a name and Penelope felt rather joyful to learn it.

Penelope looked up at him. “Is it alright if I call you Collin now? At least until we’re back in Brerra.” She asked. The knight figured it would be a bit more risky to call him by his real name Brerra. At least, openly since there was no telling who might overhear. “It’ll probably take me a bit to get used to it anyways. I’m so used to calling you Crow after all.” She gave a small chuckle.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow felt an unexpected wave of relief when he finally told Penelope his real name. It was nice to open up to someone about himself after all those years of secrecy. He had been alone for so long that he never realized what a burden it had been to shoulder everything alone—his past traumas, especially. Even though nothing else had changed besides Penelope’s knowledge of who he was, he felt almost lighter, as if a weight had been lifted.

He smiled at her joke and met her lips when she leaned up to kiss him. “I’m sure my mother would be pleased that you think so,” he said when she told him that his name was fitting. “I’ve always thought so too. It was just safer for me to take on an alias when my reputation began to grow. The knights in the outer villages had a hard time trying to pin me down without a real name. They couldn’t figure out where I was from or who I was related to, and they couldn’t question anyone who knew me, because as far as they were concerned, no one did.” He sighed. “I suppose it doesn’t matter much anymore though. Everyone who knew me as Collin in Myerfall are all long gone by now. The people there don’t usually live past thirty.”

Crow felt a pang of sadness at the thought. Though he chose not to dwell on it, part of him always wondered if he would suffer the same fate as the other peasants in his home village. Taking on the dangerous occupation of being a thief certainly didn’t help his odds. If he really was destined to live a short life like his mother, he only had about nine more years left—and that was only if he wasn’t run through by a sword first. The realization made him shudder.

I left Myerfall, he reminded himself. I’m nowhere near whatever disease was killing the people back there. He forced himself to put the worrying thoughts aside. There were more important things to focus on at the moment.

“I’d like that,” he smiled when Penelope asked if she could call him by his real name. “It’ll be nice to hear it again. No one’s called me Collin in almost ten years.” He resumed walking with her down the road. The sun was starting to dip a little lower in the sky, so he wanted to find an inn. “I hope we find a place to stay before nightfall,” he commented absently. “I want to take advantage of sleeping in a real bed while I still can.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a small nod as he explained why he had chosen to use and alias. She frowned a little as he mentioned the short life spans of the people in the outer village. The knight smiled once more as he agreed to letting her use his real name. She continued walking besides. “Ten years huh?” She mumbled, mainly to herself. It was a bit surprising to learn it had been so long since he even went by that name. She couldn’t even imagine what it would be like if she didn’t use her own name for that long.

The knight nodded her head in agreement as he mentioned finding an inn. “Yeah.. Hopefully there’s one not too far from here.” SHe agreed. She wondered if it was because of the area being a bit more luxurious than the last ones they had traveled through but there seemed to be a greater distance between the inns. I guess not many people travel this way.. She looked around at nearby buildings. The streets seemed much less busy and most people seemed to be retiring to their homes now that the sun was starting it’s descent.

Past the main street, Penelope swore that she spotted a cloaked figure watching them from a alley way. The two locked gazes and Penelope quickly turned to Crow giving him a small nudge to gain his attention. She turned her head back in the direction of the alley but the figure was gone. The knight blinked in surprise. “Did you see-“ She began until suddenly an arrow whizzed past her. Had she taken one more step further it would have went in her head.

The knight hurried to give Crow a small shove in the direction of the nearest alley, opposite to the direction from which the arrow had come from. Penelope knew they had to get out of the open, especially since whoever was shooting at them seemed to have pretty decent aim. As she turned to follow him, she casted a glance over her shoulder, trying to spot the attacker but with little success as only a couple stunned nobles seemed to be looking in their direction.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow watched as the people in the streets began to retire to their homes. It seemed there wasn’t much of a nightlife in this part of Younis, as the road was quickly emptying and vendors were packing up their merchandise. Is there a curfew for nobles here? The thought appeared unexpectedly in his head. With how strict the people in this kingdom seemed to be about protecting their king, he wouldn’t have been surprised if there was one. Either way, the sudden quiet made him want to get off the street and find a place to stay all the more quickly.

He then noticed part of the reason for the quiet was that Penelope had stopped talking to him. He glanced at her to see that she was staring tensely at something off to the side. Following her gaze, he saw a tall figure in a dark, hooded cloak who seemed to be watching them from an alley. He bristled nervously, his breath catching in his throat. How did I not see him before? He silently cursed himself for being so complacent.

Just as Penelope began to ask him if he had seen the man too, the hooded figure raised a bow and fired an arrow in their direction with greater speed than Crow had ever seen in a knight. Fortunately, the attacker missed his mark, but the shock of what had just happened was enough to make the thief freeze in his tracks. Why was this stranger shooting at them? Why did it seem like everyone and their mother wanted him and Penelope dead? He wished these random assassins would just leave them alone.

Crow felt Penelope shove him between the shoulder blades, directing him to run with her into the nearest alleyway before the hooded figure could reload his bow. When they reached cover, he pressed his back against the wall and peeked out just far enough to take in the scene outside. The man who had attacked them was gone, and there were a few passerbys running to take refuge in the nearest buildings.

He rapidly assessed the situation. Whoever was trying to kill them obviously wasn’t known by the Younisians in the area, was exceptionally skilled with a bow, and seemed to close in on his target like a hunter, as was evident by his seamless disappearance. This guy knew what he was doing.

“I think it’s a mercenary,” Crow whispered to Penelope, meeting her gaze worriedly. He had only dealt with one other mercenary in his life—a knight in the outer villages had once paid a man to kill him, since he couldn’t do it himself—and he never wanted to do it again. Professional killers were the worst sort of people. Cold and calculating and completely ruthless, they were difficult to get away from after they put a target on one’s back. In fact, he would have been surprised if this man hadn’t already laid down traps for them in advance.

“Damn it,” Crow hissed. His green eyes flicked from one side of the alley to the other before landing on the opening at the far side. It looked clear enough, but… He blanched, suddenly, struck with a chilling realization. They weren’t safe in the alley. In fact, they had been cornered. He missed on purpose, he pounded the wall with his fist in frustration. They had stepped right into a trap.

“Penelope,” he turned to her sharply. “We need to leave here now. He’s going to—” Before he could finish the sentence, he felt his breath leave him. When he had turned away from the edge of the alley they were standing next to, the hooded man had sprung out from behind the corner and slammed into him with the backside of his forearm, pinning him to the wall.

Head swimming from the impact, Crow finally had his first real look at the mercenary. The first thought that went through his mind was that the man was a giant. Crow was fairly tall by average standards, but this guy stood at least a head taller than him. His stature was matched by a body armored with rock hard muscles. The man held him effortlessly against the wall with just one beefy arm.

The mercenary’s face was intimidating as well. He had a shaved, scar-covered head, piercing blue eyes, and a mouth full of missing teeth that was contorted into a vicious snarl. He stood close enough to Crow that the thief could smell his rancid breath.

“Who sent you?” Crow managed to regain his bearings enough to spit out the question.

“Kaia dirr raemk maw yai,” the man growled. Crow raised a brow in surprise. Though he had heard many different languages in the outer villages, this one was unfamiliar to him. He winced. It was just his luck that the mercenary would speak a language he didn’t know.

“Sa vo uvkorwarrk,” the mercenary went on in that strange foreign tongue. “Kauy lorru ku kaxer.” He brandished a short sword, aiming the tip to strike upward, just beneath Crow’s ribcage.

The thief gritted his teeth, struggling fiercely against the man’s iron grip. It was no use though; he couldn’t break free. Not now, he thought, pushing back helplessly against the mercenary’s muscular arm. Not like this.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope raced into the alley after Crow. She bent down to grab for the dagger hidden in her boot. She gave a small nod of acknowledgement to Crow's words as he pointed out that the man was a mercenary. She had never dealt with one before but she had heard many stories about them.

The knight was barely rising from drawing her dagger when the man suddenly attacked Crow. She jumped back in shock and tightened her grip on her dagger as she took in the situation. The man's foreign language also caused her some surprise. It certainly wasn't something she had heard let alone understood.Her focus snapped to the sword as the man suddenly drew it on Crow. The knight leapt forward at him aiming to drive her dagger into the mercenary's shoulder. There was a hint of panic in Penelope's gaze as her attack wasn't very calculated. She just wanted to get Crow out of harms way.

The man growled something in his langauge and broke away from Crow as he dodged Penelope's attack. She was caught off guard by how swiftly the man moved despite his size and unfortunately for her, he didn't seem fazed by her sudden attack unlike the Younisian knights. He must know I'm a knight.. She placed herself protectively in front of Crow and pointed her dagger at the mercenary.

"You made a big mistake going after him first." She growled quietly as she doubted the man would even understand her. She glared at him as she carefully watched him. The mercenary looked at her and smirked. He gave a cruel chuckle and raised his sword ready to attack once more. He lunged forward at Penelope, clearly aiming for her throat as he swiped his sword at her. She slipped out of the way but wasn’t given any time to recover as the mercenary continued to attack. Their blades met in an uneven clash of metal. Penelope struggled as she used her dagger to block his attack. He was quickly over powering her so Penelope finally let her dagger fall and attempted to jump away before he could do her any harm. She wasn’t quite fast enough and he managed to leave a cut on her cheek.

It stung but it certainly didn’t slow the knight down. She used the attack to her advantage and stabbed his hand with the dagger. He let out a sharp cry and dropped his weapon. Penelope kicked the short sword away and began to raise her dagger to his throat. However, she never made it as the man’s free fist made contact with her stomach. The power of the direct and unexpected hit left Penelope gasping for as she doubled over in pain. It also caused for her to drop the dagger.

The man clutched his hand for a moment, glaring down furiously at Penelope. “Kor sa vermmerk.” He snarled. He slammed Penelope back against the wall. The knight let out a small gasp of pain from the impact and found herself disoriented from the hits she had taken. The mercenary turned his attention towards the dagger she had dropped since the sword was too far and he hadn’t forgotten about Crow being there. Penelope, despite being a bit dizzy, realized what his target was. She knew she would too slow if she tried to stand up so instead the knight pushed herself off the wall and wrapped herself around the legs of the man as she used one unsteady leg to knock the dagger away from his grasp.

“Crow! Grab it!” She said, barely even aware of where Crow was in that moment. She tried to keep an iron grip on the man while he kicked at her, furious and unsteady because of her, and clumsily reached out for the weapon.

[Rogue Sloth]

As soon as the pressure was removed from Crow’s chest, he dropped to his knees, gasping for breath. He lifted a hand to his chest and forced himself to inhale slowly so he could check the severity of his injury. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like the mercenary had broken any of his ribs, but he would definitely feel bruised once the adrenaline wore off. He shuddered. That was a little too close for comfort. The mercenary had only needed to stab upward once, and the short sword would have pierced his heart. He was thankful Penelope had reacted to the situation so quickly, or he would have died.

He looked up dizzily as Penelope moved to put herself between him and the other man. If their lives weren’t on the line, he might have found their size difference laughable. However, even though Penelope was much smaller than the mercenary, Crow knew she was skilled enough to hold her ground—at least long enough to buy them some time.

As the two began to fight, Crow rose unsteadily to his feet, slowly coming back to himself. He watched the skirmish from a distance, feeling a pang of anger as he saw Penelope get beat down by the enormous man. Even more frustrating was that he wanted to help, but he didn’t know how. He wasn’t strong enough to overpower the mercenary, and he doubted a professional killer like that would fall for his usual tricks of escape.

His eyes shifted to the attacker’s sword, which laid on the ground not too far away, and he swallowed. It looked like weapons were the only chance he and Penelope had against such a powerful opponent, but he didn’t think he could bring himself to use one. Sure, he had brandished a dagger before, but he had only used it to fool his enemies into surrendering peacefully. He had never even cut a man before, let alone tried to inflict a mortal wound.

Your life isn’t the only one at stake right now, he reminded himself. If not to save yourself, at least do it for her.

Crow edged towards the fight, fighting the instinct to turn and run. By this point, both Penelope and the mercenary had disarmed each other, their weapons lying scattered on the ground. He heard her cry out, telling him to take the dagger before the other man could get to it. She held the mercenary back, trying to slow him down, but there still wasn’t much time.

Without thinking, he sprinted towards the blade and dove for it, snatching it just before the burly man’s fingers could wrap around the hilt. He rolled aside and jumped back up to his feet, grimacing painfully. In his haste, he hadn’t paid attention to which part of the dagger he had grabbed. His hand stung as the blade bit into his skin.

He could already feel the panic setting in. His breathing became shallow and his head grew foggy. Don’t look at it, he closed his eyes, shakily turning the small weapon around so the hilt was in his hand. There’s nothing there. It’s fine. I’m fine. He felt warm liquid seep between his fingers, and he staggered. Oh gods.

Crow’s eyes snapped open again as he heard the sound of a booming howl. The mercenary had finally managed to tear himself away from Penelope’s grasp and was charging towards him. In a surge of energy driven purely by the instinct to survive, Crow lunged out of the way. He turned around to face the man, who was now grinning at him savagely. It took him a moment to realize that the man had reclaimed his short sword when he had barreled past him.

This was why Crow hated mercenaries. Nothing was ever a mistake when it came to the way they hunted their prey. They were always one step ahead, calculating exactly how they were going to kill their targets. He took a step back, glancing at Penelope. In her condition, he doubted she would be able to run, or even fight much longer for that matter. He felt helpless. A battered knight and a thief with a fear of blood against a man who murdered people for a living. It wasn’t much of a fair fight.

“Ahhh, e thiall vith nessau. Hov tailvins,” the mercenary walked towards him slowly.

“I don’t know what you’re saying,” Crow took another step back, uncomfortable with how close the man was coming to him. He raised the dagger in his hands, but the gesture only made the man laugh.

“Navkord tuu,” the mercenary stopped, just out of Crow’s reach. He cleared his throat and spoke again, “Elā ippuḍu gurin̄ci.”

“Okay, I understood that,” Crow stared at him in surprise. The man had switched to Gorman, a language Crow knew well. He eyed the mercenary suspiciously, switching to the other language to communicate, “Nēnu ī viṣayānni mīku telusā?”

“Idi nāku telusu nā pani,” the mercenary examined the blade of his sword, as if the conversation was uninteresting. His crystalline eyes flicked up to meet Crow’s gaze, “Nā āhāraṁ gurin̄ci nēnu telusukuṇṭānu.”

“Enduku mīru nannu ceptunnāvu?” Crow asked warily. “Nannu campaḍāniki mī pani kādu?”

“Idi,” the mercenary pointed his sword at Crow’s chest. “Kānī nēnu dānini mugin̄cēmundu nā vēṭanu bhayapeṭṭaḍāniki marinta ānandin̄cēdi.” He showed his rotting teeth in a brutal grin. “Mīru bhayapaḍarā?”

“Hmm,” Crow stood up slightly straighter, attempting to bluff. “Nēnu ninnu tīsukeḷtānu.”

The mercenary let out a braying laugh, “Evarikainā takkuvagā unna bōlḍ padālu.” He reached out to grab Crow’s wrist, pressing the thief’s dagger against his own sternum. His eyes glinted in amusement as the color drained from Crow’s face. “Nēnu kōrukuṇṭē mīru nannu campalēdani nāku telusu.” He leaned forward, causing the blade to cut into his chest. Dark red blood oozed from the wound.

Crow’s eyelids fluttered at the sight, and he felt his legs giving out beneath him. However, just as he began to collapse, the mercenary held him up by his wrist.

“Cūḍaṇḍi?” the man eyed him sadistically. “Idi cālā saradāgā uṇṭundi.” He lifted his sword to Crow’s arm, using the blade to pull back his sleeve and expose the skin underneath. “Miśramāniki mī raktānni elā kalapāli? Nēnu mīru konni kōtalu ivvālani kālēdu... Lēdā mottaṁ viṣayaṁ āph, mīru kāvālanukuṇṭē.”

Translated section

“Okay, I understood that,” Crow stared at him in surprise. The man had switched to Gorman, a language Crow knew well. He eyed the mercenary suspiciously, switching to the other language to communicate, “How did you know I speak this tongue?”

“It’s my job to know,” the mercenary examined the blade of his sword, as if the conversation was uninteresting. His crystalline eyes flicked up to meet Crow’s gaze, “I learn everything about my prey.”

“But why are you telling me this?” Crow asked warily. “Isn’t it your main job to kill us?”

“It is,” the mercenary pointed his sword at Crow’s chest. “But I find it more enjoyable to frighten my prey before I finish it off.” He showed his rotting teeth in a brutal grin. “Are you not afraid?”

“Hmm,” Crow stood up slightly straighter, attempting to bluff. “I think I can take you.”

The mercenary let out a braying laugh, “Bold words for someone so small.” He reached out to grab Crow’s wrist, pressing the thief’s dagger against his own sternum. His eyes glinted in amusement as the color drained from Crow’s face. “I also know you couldn’t kill me if you wanted to.” He leaned forward, causing the blade to cut into his chest. Dark red blood oozed from the wound.

Crow’s eyelids fluttered at the sight, and he felt his legs giving out beneath him. However, just as he began to collapse, the mercenary held him up by his wrist.

“See?” the man eyed him sadistically. “This is much more fun.” He lifted his sword to Crow’s arm, using the blade to pull back his sleeve and expose the skin underneath. “How about we add your blood to the mix? I could give you a few cuts… or take the whole thing off, if you’d prefer.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope fell back to the ground as the man freed himself from her grasp. The knight laid there for a moment, trying to catch her breath. Her body was throbbing with pain from the punches and kicks, so much so that she barely even felt the bleeding cut on her cheek. She flickered her gaze over to Crow as the man reclaimed his short sword. A fresh wave of panic washed over the knight as the mercenary was armed yet again. Her eyes flickered around franticly, trying to come with a plan anything that would get them out of this situation.

Even if I managed to get the sword away from him... I can’t take him. And even if I found a way to beat him in combat, he’d still find a way to kill us.. The knight’s gaze landed on a large rock that was nearby. It had might have been part of the road at one point but now it merely laid pushed up against one corner of the alley way. The knight froze slightly at the thought of her own plan. Despite having been in multiple fights, Penelope had never aimed to kill before. She usually took a more defensive approach to fighting rather than an offensive one. She might have been responsible for a couple deaths, mainly involving enemies that refused to back down, but she had never delivered a finishing blow. They would collapse due to blood loss or the like rather than being stabbed through the heart with her sword. I have to it. I have to do it.

Her gaze shifted back over to the two men, unable to understand what they were saying but grateful that it would buy her time. The knight slowly took the rock in her hand and began to crawl closer to the two. She had to remain low to the ground, seemingly defeated so that the mercenary wouldn’t catch onto her, and keep close to the wall so she’d have something to push off of since she guessed that she’d be a bit shaky on her feet now.

Luckily for her, his attention seemed to be fixated on Crow. She felt fear building up alongside her sense of panic. The knight tried her best to focus on that rather than unsettling feeling that came at the thought of taking someone else’s life. It helped to see the man looking at Crow so sadistically. I can’t lose him... She clutched the rock in her hand tightly and began to shift her legs to push her up. The less she thought about her plan and the more she lived in that feeling of fear and panic, she was able to find a surge of adrenaline that fuel her will to survive as well as save Crow.

There was no hesitation as the knight flung herself at the man in one swift move. There was a fearful, wild gleam in those normally kind green eyes. The mercenary barely had a moment to let go of Crow and shift his sword to attack. His sword drove a fairly deep cut into Penelope’s arm but it didn’t slow her down as she smashed the rock against his head. The man staggered at the impact. Penelope let out a cry, a mixture of pain and battle, as she raised the rock and slammed it against his head again, not giving him another second to recover.

The mercenary fell with a heavy thud to the ground. Blood trickled from the nasty wound Penelope had inflicted. The knight staggered back from him, dropping the rock to the ground. She panted and collapsed to her knees, legs suddenly feeling much too weak to hold her up right. Tears began to form in her eyes, formed purely from the fear she had felt. Fear of killing, fear of death and the fear of losing Crow. The knight took in a few more shaky breaths as she looked at the man. She wasn’t sure if he was dead yet or if she had just merely knocked him out with a bad head injury. Either way, she didn’t want to focus on it.

Penelope turned around to locate Crow, concern for him quickly taking over. “Crow... Collin, are you ok?” She asked, her voice just as shaky as the rest of her. She wiped some of the blood off her cheek and clutched her bleeding arm, trying to hid it from him best she could as she recalled his issue with the sight of the stuff.

[Rogue Sloth]

Everything was hazy to Crow in his half-conscious state. He was aware of the giant holding him up, of the blade pressed against his forearm, of the fact that he was in danger and needed to get away. But he couldn’t take it. His vision was painted scarlet, like the blood that trickled down from the gash in his palm. He started to wonder if it would be easier to just let himself pass out. Then at least he wouldn’t have to suffer a painful death.

His head lolled as he began to lose what remained of his consciousness, but a sharp pain brought him back to reality. The mercenary had dug the tip of his sword into Crow’s arm, tutting disappointedly, “Kṣamin̄caṇḍi, kānī nēnu mim'malni veḷlanivvalēnu mariyu nannu navvin̄calēnu.” He lifted the blade to the thief’s head, using the flat side of it to force him to look up again. “Mīru dāni sampūrṇatalō maraṇānni anubhavin̄cabōtunnāru.”

“Mīru… oka pratyēka rakamaina vakrīkr̥ta. Adi nīku telusu?” Crow panted, curling his lip at the mercenary. He caught sight of a faint movement off to the side: Penelope was sneaking up on them. He quickly looked back at the mercenary, hoping to keep him distracted so she would have a chance to strike.

“Nīku teliyadu,” the man smirked. Fortunately, he was still so preoccupied with tormenting his victim that he didn’t seem to have caught the motion. He shifted his sword slightly lower so it rested against Crow’s throat, and then chuckled as the thief recoiled from its touch. “Nēnu iṅkā mī vidhiki rājīnāmā cēyalēdu.”

“Idi ikkaḍa canipōvaḍāniki nā adr̥ṣṭaṁ kādu,” Crow answered simply. A subtle smile spread across his mouth, causing the other man to knit his brow in confusion. “Idi nīdī.”

In the next instant, Penelope attacked and the mercenary was forced to release Crow in order to defend himself. The thief crumpled to the ground, still slightly dazed but also weak with relief. He averted his gaze as Penelope bashed the mercenary’s head in with a rock. He hoped the man was dead. Someone so sadistic didn’t deserve the mercy of being spared.

When Penelope came over to ask if he was okay, he nodded. “I’m fine,” he said hazily, forcing himself to sit up. “I didn’t get nearly as beat up as you did. I’m honestly embarrassed I’m in such a pathetic state after just a few small cuts.” He shook his head and then glanced at the mercenary’s fallen body. “He knew about my aversion to blood somehow. I think he’d been following us for a while, because I’m not sure how he would have gotten that information otherwise.” He shuddered at the thought that this man had been lying in wait to kill them for so long. Whoever had sent him really wanted them dead. He just hoped this was the only professional killer that person had hired.

Crow looked up to meet Penelope’s gaze concernedly, “How are you doing? It looked like he was hitting you pretty hard.” His eyes roved over her body, landing on the arm she was clutching so tightly, and he frowned. He lifted a tentative hand and gently pulled her hand off of the injury so he could see it. The laceration was deep. The sight of it made him feel nauseated, so he looked away.

“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “If I wasn’t such a useless fighter, this wouldn’t have happened to you.”

Translated section

His head lolled as he began to lose what remained of his consciousness, but a sharp pain brought him back to reality. The mercenary had dug the tip of his sword into Crow’s arm, tutting disappointedly, “Sorry, but I can’t let you go and faint on me.” He lifted the blade to the thief’s head, using the flat side of it to force him to look up again. “You’re going to experience death in its fullness.”

“You’re… a special kind of twisted. You know that?” Crow panted, curling his lip at the mercenary. He caught sight of a faint movement off to the side: Penelope was sneaking up on them. He quickly looked back at the mercenary, hoping to keep him distracted so she would have a chance to strike.

“You have no idea,” the man smirked. Fortunately, he was still so preoccupied with tormenting his victim that he didn’t seem to have caught the motion. He shifted his sword slightly lower so it rested against Crow’s throat, and then chuckled as the thief recoiled from its touch. “I see you haven’t resigned yourself to your fate just yet.”

“That’s because it’s not my fate to die here,” Crow answered simply. A subtle smile spread across his mouth, causing the other man to knit his brow in confusion. “It’s yours.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope let out a small sigh of relief as Crow said he was fine. She was surprised to hear that the man had found out such information. She glanced back at the body, wondering just how much the man had known. “He knew enough to expect my first attack.. He wasn’t even fazed when I jumped in..” She mumbled shaking her head. She couldn’t help but wonder who wanted them dead so badly they hired a professional killer. A ripple of fear made her heart pound a little more at the thought of this mercenary not being the only one.

“I’m-“ The knight paused as she went to answer his question. It’d be quite an exaggeration to say she was fine. Her whole body was aching from the beating she had taken, not to mention how badly her arm was being to hurt now that her adrenaline was dying down. “I’ll be alright.” She assured him, wincing as he carefully moved her hand to check the gash on her arm. She shook her head at his apology and covered her arm once more.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault.” She told him with a small frown. “I’m a knight. Fighting is pretty much the whole job.” She offered him a half-hearted smile which quickly faded as she looked away. “Besides, I couldn’t even beat him in a fight... I-I just grabbed the closest thing and leapt...” The knight shuddered as she recalled her own actions. Even if the man deserved it and there were no other options, she still felt a bit shaken.

Penelope took a deep breath and looked back to Crow. “We should bandage up real quick and then get moving.” She said quickly switching the subject. Plus she figured it wasn’t the best idea to hang around the mercenary’s body. It was only a matter of time before someone else stumbled upon them. “Lucky I grabbed some bandages from the cart before we left.” She scooted to lean back against the wall and dug into her bag to pull out the bandages. She hurriedly wrapped up her arm in a less than perfect bandage before looking over at Crow. “Here, I’ll wrap up your hand.” She said having noticed the gash that was on Crow’s palm. The knight figured it was best if the thief didn’t dress his own wound considering how pale he looked from seeing blood.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow frowned when Penelope said the mercenary had expected her to attack, which meant he had known she wasn’t just a peasant girl. It sounded like his suspicion that he had been following them was right. The man had probably just been stalking them until he could catch them alone and with their guards down… and he had almost succeeded. The thief glanced towards either end of the alleyway. It was likely that the mercenary had been working alone—he had never heard of any that were willing to team up for a split profit—but he didn’t want to take any chances.

He turned back to Penelope as she went on to tell him that it wasn’t his fault; that this was her job; and that she just did what she felt she had to do. The strain in her voice made him want to gather her into his arms. He could understand why she felt so terrible. Even though it was a necessary evil, she had killed the man pretty brutally. He would have been just as upset if he had been in her position.

“We should bandage up real quick and then get moving,” Penelope said, changing the subject. “Lucky I grabbed some bandages from the cart before we left.” She wrapped her arm a bit clumsily and then offered to dress the injury on his hand for him.

Crow observed her quietly for a moment before moving to sit next to her. However, instead of immediately offering his right hand for her to bandage the wound, he touched her cheek with his left, gently guiding her to turn towards him. Meeting her gaze for a brief moment, he leaned closer and pressed a kiss to her lips. He closed his eyes and slid his hand down to her neck, momentarily letting himself forget about everything that had just happened to them.

After a moment, he pulled back and met her green eyes once more. “My mother used to tell me that the touch of someone you love can take away your pain,” He smiled a bit sheepishly, tracing his thumb along the edge of her jaw. “I can tell you’re upset, but you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. That guy was a murderer, and he was going to kill us. You did nothing wrong.” He lowered his gaze, letting his hand drop back down to his lap. “Also… I know you said this wasn’t my fault, but… I can’t keep being a handicap to you in battle.” He sighed, thinking about how differently things would have turned out if he could have fought the mercenary alongside Penelope. Instead of helping her, he had just been a coward that she had needed to protect. He couldn’t let himself keep doing that to her.

“I think you were right before, when you said I should learn how to fight,” he admitted, looking up once more. “I-I want you to teach me.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope waited for him to give her his hand. As he raised his other hand to her cheek instead, she leaned in to meet him as he kissed her. She closed her eyes and kissed him, glad to focus on something besides what had just happened. She smiled faintly at his words and leaned lightly into his touch. Her smile faded as he tried to assure her that her actions were in the right. The knight averted her gaze. “I know I had to do it... but..it still feels wrong.” She mumbled.

She looked back at him as he brought up being a handicap to her in battle. She reached out to place her hand on top of his. “But don’t go thinking you were useless.. I couldn’t beat him in a fight alone. If you hadn’t grabbed the dagger away from him in the first place or distracted him long enough for me to strike, I’d be dead.” Penelope said shaking her head. She frowned at his words and hesitated as he admitted to wanting to learn how to fight.

Penelope gave him an uncertain look. “I don’t mind teaching you if you want but... it’s not going to stop your aversion to blood.” She pointed out. “You’ll still have that holding you back and in a fight with weapons, there’s usually bound to be cuts of some sort. Be it on you or your enemy.”

The knight paused, an idea coming to mind as she looked out of the alley way and towards the main street. It made her recall the mercenary’s first attack that drove them into the alley in the first place. Penelope looked back to Crow with a small spark in her green gaze. “Have you ever used a bow and arrow before?” She asked curiously. “I’m not too good with it myself but I could teach you the basics. But I’m thinking that might be the perfect weapon for you. You can keep a distance from your enemy so the issue of seeing blood won’t be nearly as bad if we worked on fighting with a dagger or sword."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow felt a bit better when Penelope said he hadn’t been as useless as he thought in the fight. He supposed she was right. Even though he had only been trying to delay the mercenary from killing him at the time by talking to him, his actions had helped her too. But that was why he wanted to learn more. He didn’t want to be accidentally helpful to her. He wanted to be able to fight with purpose, to be a reliable partner when she needed him.

As Penelope pointed out that he would still be averse to seeing blood even if he knew how to fight, he nodded solemnly. Deep down, he already knew it was true. He supposed he just hoped that the fear would fade with time if he got used to being in battle more often. Then again, it wasn’t the smartest idea to rely on chance. His hematophobia could very well swing in the opposite direction and get worse as he tried to face it more often. Or there could be no change whatsoever, which was just as bad.

He eyed Penelope curiously as she became quiet. She seemed to ponder something for a moment before asking him, “Have you ever used a bow and arrow before?”

“No,” Crow shook his head, although he was beginning to piece together what she was probably thinking. “I’ve stolen quite a few from the vaults in Brerra, but I always sold them for money.”

“I’m not too good with it myself, but I could teach you the basics,” Penelope looked more eager as she went on. “I’m thinking that might be the perfect weapon for you. You can keep a distance from your enemy, so the issue of seeing blood won’t be nearly as bad as if we worked on fighting with a dagger or sword.”

“That’s true,” Crow drummed his fingers against his knee. “I’d still need to get the arrows back, but arrow wounds don’t bleed nearly as much as a cut from a blade does.” He knew this from his own experience. Most of the injuries he had received over the years had come from archers, since they could strike from a distance. As long as the shaft was left in, the wound would only weep slightly rather than pour blood. He could handle that. Besides, a bow might also give him a way to use another trick that he had picked up a few years back…

“I think you’re onto something, love,” he grinned at her with newfound excitement. “I don’t know why I never thought of that before, but you’re right. It would be the perfect weapon for me.” He offered her his injured hand to dress, averting his gaze so he wouldn’t see how bad it was.

Once that was done, he stood up—it had been long enough now that most of his dizziness had passed—and held out his left hand to help Penelope up. “It’s getting pretty late, so we should get out of here,” he said, glancing at the street again. “I just hope there’s an inn nearby that won’t find two beat-up travelers suspicious.”

[BuzzingBee]

“Well, even if getting the arrows back is a problem, I can help out with that part.” She told him with a small shrug. Penelope smiled as he grew excited at the prospect of learning to use a bow. She grabbed the bandages once again and started to wrap up his hand. “Hopefully, I can teach it alright.. It’s not a weapon I use very often after all.” She mused as she finished dressing his wound. Of course, learning how to use a bow, even if only slightly, came with part of being a knight. Her aim and accuracy were fine until the targets started moving, then it was just pure luck if she was able to hit anything. Penelope hoped that if she taught Crow the basics, he’d be able to develop his skill farther than her own.

She put away the bandages and took Crow’s hand to stand up. She still felt a bit sore from the fight and she had no doubt that her body would bare several bruises so she moved a bit stiffly at first. Penelope nodded her head in agreement with his words she moved to head out of the alley way before stopping for a moment and turning to reclaim her dagger that still laid on the ground. She wiped the blade clean and then hid it back in it’s original spot in her boot. She turned to continue out onto the main road with him.

“Well, I’m sure we can make up some story if they do..” She said with a small shrug. “Maybe we fell off our horse and into some rocks or something.” After all they had just gone through, seeming a little strange or suspicious to some innkeepers didn’t cause the knight much worry at the moment. She walked on and began to search around for a nearby inn as soon as they stepped out onto the street. Needless to say the knight felt more than ready to settle down for the night.

“Looks like there’s one up ahead.” She told him, sounding a little relieved that there was an inn within sight. Though the place seemed rather small compared to the inns from before. She almost mistook it as a large house for a moment. “They must not get many travelers through here..” Penelope said quietly as she glanced around.