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

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow was relieved that Penelope seemed willing to move now that she had calmed down a bit. Still trembling from the cold rainwater that soaked his clothes and hair, he was eager to get someplace dry to warm up. He stayed close to her as they rose to their feet, looking around as he took a moment to see where they were. His first thought was to take her back to the tavern, but that was on the other side of the village. Considering how skittish the knight was at the moment, he wasn’t sure if she could make it all the way there without breaking down again. No, he would have to find someplace closer.

He led her out to the main road and looked down the length of it as he tried to come up with another idea. Suddenly, a place came to his mind that he hadn’t thought about in years. He glanced down at Penelope, wondering if it would be worth it to take her there. It was nearby, and he really did want to get out of the rain… It’s the best option we have. Taking a deep breath, he tugged on her hand to lead her away from the road as he changed direction to go down a side street.

As they walked, the houses grew smaller and a bit closer together. He continued to stay close to Penelope’s side, running his free hand slowly up and down her arm as he tried to keep her calm, until he came to a run-down looking building near the end of the road. He paused for a moment to look up at it before he reached for the handle on the wooden door and pulled it open. The unlocked door swung open at an odd angle, its hinges having grown worn with age, and the thief stepped through the opening, closing it behind him once Penelope was inside too.

The interior of the house was nearly pitch black, aside from a few patches of moonlight on the floor from one window and some cracks in the dilapidated roof. Crow led Penelope across the room to a bed he remembered was in the corner. “Sit here,” he said. “I’ll be right back.” Letting go of her hand, he crossed to a different part of the room, running his fingers across the top of an old table until he found a dusty oil lantern. He lit it with a wick and moved it to the center of the floor to light up the space before stepping back over to sit next to Penelope on the edge of the bed.

“This is much better,” he sighed, wringing out some of the water in his sleeves and hair. Glancing at Penelope again, he grinned, “You did great, love.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope quietly followed him as he lead her to a worn down building. She barely paid any mind to the direction they gone in or how the houses grew smaller. Too focused on getting out of the open, she quickly followed him into the old place, feeling a small sense of relief to finally have some shelter from the storm. She followed him over to the bed and quietly sat down. The knight took a couple of deep breaths, trying to get her fear under better control.

As she waited for Crow to return, she slipped off her drenched cloak and wringed out some of the water from it. Unsure where to place it for it to dry properly, she placed it down on the floor for now. Once Crow managed to light the lantern, her gaze began to drift over the place he had taken her too. It seemed like it was a home. Or at least, it used to be. It seemed rather rundown and was abandoned from what she could tell. The cracks in the roof above began to make her feel uneasy once again and worried that her fear would take over again, she quickly shifted her gaze away to focus on Crow as he sat besides her once more.

"If that's doing great, I don't want to know what doing bad is.." Penelope muttered with a sigh. She remained tense and clearly still uneasy with the storm that continued to rage outside but she had managed to get a grip on herself now that she was both inside and with Crow. A bit caught up in all that happened, she leaned her head against his shoulder out of old habit. The situation and his presence felt all too familiar, making the knight momentarily forget they weren't together anymore.

As she blushed from embarrassment, there was also a small hint of sorrow that seeped into her expression as she thought about how she had given him up. Penelope quickly removed her head from his shoulder but still remained close besides him. Between finding comfort in him while the storm continued to make her tense and how much she had truly missed him, the knight couldn't bring herself to put any further distance between them at the moment.

Her gaze drifted around the room again, avoiding looking over at him. "Where are we anyways?" She asked, partly curious and partly wanting to take her mind off of everything else.

[Rogue Sloth]

The room was dry, but it definitely wasn’t warm. Crow shuddered again as he slipped his cloak off of his shoulders and tossed it to the side. The fabric landed with a heavy thump, weighed down by the water it had soaked up while he had been in the rain. He leaned back on his palms, looking around as a sense of nostalgia rose up inside of him.

He hadn’t been to this place in at least a decade, but it still felt familiar to him. Of course, after so much time had passed, it was quite different from what he remembered. For one thing, anything of value had been stolen long ago by rogue thieves, leaving only the bare necessities behind. For another, it felt emptier. It was truly empty in the physical sense, because no one had lived there in so long, but being here again also made him feel a bit hollow, himself.

He felt Penelope lean her head against his shoulder, and he glanced down at her with a soft smile. He still felt a bit strange in bringing her to this house, since he had never showed it to anyone before, but he found that he was glad she was here with him now. Struck by a sudden wave of affection for the knight, he moved to put an arm around her. However, he faltered as he felt her pull back from him again. The motion reminded him that they weren’t together anymore, and he blushed slightly, covering up his gesture by bringing his arm up to wring more water out of his sleeve instead.

Keep it together, he took a calming breath. She’s not yours anymore, so don’t do anything to make her uncomfortable. Sneaking a sideways glance at Penelope, he felt his heart beat a little quicker in his chest, and he swallowed nervously. She wasn’t his anymore, but oh how he wished she still was.

At her question, he averted his gaze to look around the room once more. The defensive side of him considered lying to her and saying he had just happened to find this place, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He wanted her to know where he had brought her. “This was… the house where I grew up,” he said, turning back to her again with a sheepish smile. “It was the closest place I could think of where we could take refuge.” He shrugged. “I haven’t lived here in years, but it’s technically still mine. After my mother died, ownership passed to me. I know I should probably have given it to someone out here who would actually use it, but I don’t know… I guess I could never bring myself to sell the place.” Letting out his breath in a sigh, he gazed at the room fondly. “It’s not much to look at, but it will give us shelter until this storm passes.”

Another thought crossed his mind, and he met Penelope’s gaze with a frown, “Speaking of which, what are you going to do if it lasts all night? Do you think anyone will notice you’ve been gone?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope looked over at Crow as he answered her question. She blinked in surprise as he revealed the house was his childhood home. The knight shifted her gaze to look over the place, suddenly finding new meaning and interest in the worn down place had had brought her to. She was reminded of how she had wanted to see more of the places he was fond of in the outer village and though he might have just brought her there to take shelter, she couldn't help but feel a small burst of happiness that he had chosen to share it with her.

"A little bit of repairs and it'd make a lovely home." She mused softly as she looked over at him, finding a familiar affection for the thief as she noticed how he gazed fondly at the room. As he changed the subject, she shifted with uncertainty. "I.. I'm not sure.." She admitted with a small frown. The knight tensed for a moment as thunder crackled above. She flinched and tried to recover quickly from the noise.

"If it stops by dawn.. I should be ok.. The only people that would likely notice I was gone right away are Gavin and Olivia." She told him shifting her gaze to the ground. "Gavin doesn't know about my fear nor that I'm still meeting with you but I doubt he'd be checking on me in the middle of the night.. As for Olivia-" The knight felt her cheeks grow warm as she thought of what the female knight would accuse her of. "I'm sure she wouldn't think much of me being gone."

Penelope paused and looked over at Crow. She felt a small stab of guilt for having kept him out so late. While she was grateful he had helped her, she knew he was probably tired and probably needed to get back to his companions. However, she felt a bit reluctant to let him go. "You should probably get going though." She told him softly, despite her reluctance to part from him. "I'll be alright here now."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow glanced back at Penelope as she spoke up after a moment, and his heart fluttered at her words. Smiling a bit wider, he turned away again and continued looking over the house. He hadn’t brought her there to seek her approval of it, but the fact that she thought it would make a good home brought a surge of joy to the thief. He was happy that he had chosen to bring her to the place where he had grown up, but even more so, he was happy that she seemed to like it.

Sitting in his old home with her now, he was reminded of his plans two years ago to bring her to all the places in the outer villages that he was fondest of. The memory made his smile fade slightly. Back then he had been hoping she would be traveling around with him as his wife, not an acquaintance who he had drifted apart from. He felt a pang of longing for the future they had never attained. Because of the war, everything was different now. He was living with a band of thieves, trying to help the peasants of the outer villages survive; and she was a lieutenant for the king’s army, being courted by another man. It suddenly seemed like a cruel twist of fate for them to be together now in his childhood home when everything had changed.

But, somehow, we’re still here, he glanced at Penelope again with a hint of affection in his gaze. Despite all of it—the war, their differing lives, the people they were with—they had still wound up here of all places, sitting alone together in the middle of a storm. Even though it didn’t happen the way he imagined, he was still glad that she was with him now. So, not wanting to spoil the moment, he pushed his wistful thoughts aside to focus on simply being present with her in the house of his youth.

As she went on to answer his question, Crow nodded. He was glad that her disappearance wouldn’t be noticed by too many knights, but it was a little disconcerting to know that her suitor might realize she was gone. He eyed her curiously as she explained that Gavin didn’t know she was still meeting with him, nor the fact that she had a fear of thunderstorms. He found it odd that she would keep so much from the man she claimed she intended to marry, but he chose not to dwell on the thought. Whatever her reasons may have been, she was still with the knight, and she seemed happy enough, so he had no reason to question her.

At her following words, Crow found himself unable to keep from laughing, “That’s very kind of you, darling, but do you really think I’m going to leave right now?” He smirked at her teasingly. “There’s no way in hell I’m walking all the way back to my camp in the middle of a storm this bad. This shelter was just as much for me as it was for you. And besides that,” his gaze softened slightly as he looked at her. “What sort of friend would I be if I left you alone when I know quite well how frightened you are of storms?”

His heart beat a little quicker as he referred to himself as her friend when they hadn’t discussed the nature of their relationship. He didn’t know how she viewed him, so it had been a bit of a bold move on his part to throw out such a term. However, he couldn’t deny that that was what he wanted. He wanted her to view him as someone she could still count on, because even though they weren’t lovers anymore, he still cared about her and wanted to be there for her.

Blushing slightly, he averted his gaze to look out the window, going on in a quiet voice, “I’m not going anywhere until this passes.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope rolled her eyes as he responded teasingly. She looked over at him to rhtort only to catch his gaze had softened. She blinked as he referred to himself as he friend. That was what they were now? It made sense, seeing as they both seemed to share a care for each other and after how close they had gotten, it would be strange to label their relationship as anything less.

However, Penelope felt a pang of disappointment and one that didn't fade easily. It might have been because of how rattled the storm had gotten her or how much she was reminded of their previous time together but she wasn't able to ignore it. The knight had to accept the fact that a friendship with him was not what she was looking for. She wanted more.

"Thanks." She mumbled quietly in response before turning her gaze away from him.

The knight flinched at another roar of thunder sounded outside. She stiffened for a moment and side glanced over at Crow, wishing she could just stay in his embrace like before. Penelope closed her eyes tightly, feeling quite regretful. This hadn't been the future she had wanted for either of them and she knew if she could change things, she would in a heart beat. Gavin was a good person but he wasn't the man she loved. It had always been Crow and it seemed that wouldn't change. A thought crossed her mind as she was reminded of the first night she had seen him again.

"If... If my answer, to your question on the first night we met, changed... W-Would it matter?" She asked quietly and without thinking the situation over. A moment later and the knight felt instant regret as she considered what she had just asked. While she may have wanted more, she didn't want to drive him away either. It was possible that he had already gotten over her or perhaps still held a bit of grudge for her decision to leave him behind. "Ah uuh.. I mean.. never mind." She stuttered, trying to backtrack rather unsuccessfully.

[Rogue Sloth]

What did she just say?

Crow stared at Penelope in unbridled surprise. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. The sound of her words replayed over and over in his mind, and his heart began to race with excitement. It wasn’t his imagination. She was having second thoughts about her decision to leave him. A dozen different thoughts ran through his mind: Did she still love him after all? What had changed to make her reconsider being with him? Why was she bringing this up now? The barrage of questions was overwhelming, but above it all was a singular feeling of joy at the fact that she still wanted to be with him.

He desperately longed to tell her that it mattered and that he still loved her. After all, she was everything he ever wanted. However, as he tried to bring himself to speak, he found that his tongue was tied. If she had asked him the same question a few weeks ago, his answer would have been an instant yes, but now he wasn’t sure what to say.

He still wanted to be with her just as much as before, but after seeing the life she had built for herself among the knights, he couldn’t just take that away from her in good conscience. Two years ago, she would have sacrificed a lot by choosing him, but now there was even more at stake. She had a good job, a good reputation, even a good suitor. It wouldn’t have been right for him to get in the way of everything she had worked so hard to achieve.

“Penelope…” Crow said gently, reaching to take her hand in his. “I still love you more than you could know. But… are you really sure that’s what you want? Nothing has changed. If you choose me, you’ll be giving up everything you have and everything you know.” He held her gaze seriously as he went on, “I want you to really think about this. If you get back together with me, you won’t be able to keep your job, your reputation will be ruined, and your family may even disown you.

“Right now, you have a good life. You’ve worked hard for it, and you’ve earned everything you’ve achieved for yourself. You even have another suitor whom, if you marry, you won’t have to sacrifice a single thing. Are you really willing to give all of that up for a thief?” He lowered his gaze to hide the pain in his eyes from her. The words were difficult to say, but he knew they needed to be said.

“I don’t want you to answer me right now,” he continued softly. “With this storm going on, I don’t think you’re in your right mind, but I also believe this isn’t a decision you should make without considering all of the consequences. Take a few days to really think about this. Think about everything you’d be giving up, and if you’re really willing to do it, because I’m not going to be the man who ruins your life. I love you too much to let that happen.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope quickly averted her gaze as he looked over at her with reply. Her heart began to hammer in her chest anxiously. Why did I have to open my mouth.. She groaned inwardly. For a moment, the knight had hoped that maybe he would just ignore her words. However, she quickly realized that wouldn't be the case as he finally spoke and took her hand in his. She felt her heart flutter at his words as she turned her gaze to look over at him.

There was a small burst of affection for the thief as he assured her that he still loved her. As he went on speak rather seriously about her decision, she knew he was right in his advice to think over the decision. It was rash to decide something that would effect her whole life, even though she already felt like she had an answer. She had once been willing to leave everything behind to be with him, and that had only changed because of her failure to prevent the war.

She looked over at him and gave a nod of agreement as he told her take a few days to think about it. "I will.." She told him softly. Penelope paused before giving his hand a small squeeze. "I.. I still have a lot to consider but.. It didn't just start today." She mumbled, wanting him to know that her thought of changing her mind didn't just come from how the storm had shaken her. The knight met his gaze with a small smile of affection and a hint of sorrow in her gaze. "You're a difficult man to get over, Crow Lockton.. And it took me until a few days ago to realize, and until now to accept, that even after two years, I hadn't."

She shook her head and shifted her gaze to the ground. "I tried to ignore how I felt. Bury it away and just focus on my work and how I was content with Gavin. When you got caught the other day, I finally started to realize how ridiculous I was being. Gavin didn't want me helping you escape. He warned me about what I was risking but," She shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't care. I was going to help you, regardless of what was on the line or what Gavin thought."

Penelope paused in her words as her gaze flickered uneasily towards the cracks in the ceiling as she noticed a flash of lightning come from them. She froze for a moment before eventually forcing her gaze away from them to look back over at Crow. "I'm aware now.. of how I feel. But you're right. There's somethings that I still need to think over. In a few days, I'll be able to give you a real answer."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow let out his breath in a soft sigh after he finished speaking. Holding himself back from the chance to be with Penelope again was one of the hardest decisions he had ever made. However, he knew he had done the right thing. If he had taken her offer, he may have been taking advantage of what seemed to be an impulsive desire on her part. It would have been selfish to do something that would ruin her life without giving her the opportunity to think about the consequences of what she was asking, so she could back out if it was too much after all.

He looked up at Penelope again, feeling a bit surprised as she went on to say that she hadn’t just started to feel this way about him that night. It wasn’t just because he had comforted her in the storm; she had been in love with him since the day they parted. His mind reeled at the new information, and he had to force his emotions into check. Just because she had always felt the same way for him that he did for her didn’t mean that it was the best decision for them to get back together. It still remained true that she needed to consider everything she would lose if she chose him. She had to decide what was most important to her.

When she finished talking, Crow didn’t respond right away. Not sure what to say, he let a brief silence fall between them as he took a moment to gather his thoughts. Ever since they had reunited on that first night about a month ago, he had thought she had moved on from him completely. To learn that his first impression had been wrong, and that she was still in love with him was a lot to take in, especially since he still didn’t know if it meant he could have her again.

Even if she comes back in a few days and says she chooses me, can I really take her back? He frowned as he thought about something else that might stand in between them.

His illness had already started to progress again to the next phase that the herbalist had described. With no cure in sight, he didn’t know how much longer he had before it took his life. Was it really fair to let Penelope give up her entire life for him, when he might only be around for a few more years? The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that it wasn’t right to take her away from everything she knew just so he could have her for a little while longer.

He blinked, realizing he was starting to give up on finding a cure for his sickness. No, he thought determinedly. I’m not done yet. Between now and the next time we meet, I’m going to keep looking.

Feeling a bit more resolve from his decision, he looked to Penelope again to answer her. “Thank you for telling me,” he smiled at her appreciatively. “I just want you to know that when you come back to give me that answer, I’ll be content with your decision… whatever it may be.” He shifted to sit a little closer to her and leaned over to press a gentle kiss to her cheek. “You need to do what you think is best for you,” he went on quietly. “But no matter what you choose, I’ll always be there for you in any way I can.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope shifted her gaze away as a silence fell between them for a moment. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to take in all that had occurred. It was difficult, as she was still shaken from the storm outside, and decided it was best for her to let it go for now. She opened her eyes again once Crow broke the silence and looked over at him. The knight smiled a little at his words and felt her heart beat just a little faster as he kissed her cheek.

"Thank you." She said quietly before moving to lean her head on his shoulder again, this time not backing away. "And you know, I'll still be there for you too. Regardless of what I choose, I'll still work as your informant and I'll do what I can to keep helping you." Penelope meant her words. Even if she couldn't be with him, the knight knew she wouldn't be able to just stop helping him. She wanted to be there for him because regardless of her decision, she still loved and cared for him. Choosing to keep her life as it was wouldn't change that.

The knight let out a small sigh, feeling a bit tired. She eyed the sky from the ceiling cracks. The storm was still going on outside but it seemed that it was slowing down. The rain didn't seem to be pouring as heavily as before and the lightning and thunder seemed to be dying down, or at least she hoped so. "I think the storm will be passing soon.. Thank the gods." She breathed, as she moved to rub one arm with her hand. She was cold and found herself eager to return to her camp so she could get out of her drenched clothing.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow leaned his head against Penelope’s, enjoying their momentary closeness as she rested against his shoulder. Though the storm had kept them both out late and he was still cold from the water that soaked his clothes, he was glad it had happened. Without the poor weather, they would have gone back to their separate camps and he may never have found out that the knight was reconsidering being with him. Even if it led to nothing, he was glad to have learned that she still loved him.

“I know you will,” he smiled as she went on to tell him that she would continue to help him as well. “And I appreciate everything you’re doing. The information you’ve been giving me has helped us save more villagers than we ever have before. I can’t thank you enough for that.” He leaned in a little closer to her, so their arms brushed against each other. It felt good to be so close to her again, and he relished the moment. He wanted to hold onto it, that way, even if Penelope chose not to be with him, he would still have the memory of right now—sitting with her in the house where he had grown up.

As she pointed out that the storm was easing up, he glanced up at the cracked ceiling and listened to the sound of the rain. “Looks like it,” he agreed with a nod. “We can probably return to our camps well before the sun comes up.” Turning back to the knight, he pulled away from her slightly in order to meet her gaze. “When do you want to meet again?” he asked. “I think you should decide, since you know better than I do how much time you’ll need to think about everything we talked about.”

Another thought came to him, and he shifted his weight, “Also… would it be too much to meet here next time instead of at the tavern? I’d rather not risk having anyone overhear such a personal conversation.” That, and he enjoyed being able to share his old home with someone else. Whether she chose him or not, he wanted her to see and know that part of his life. He felt warmth creep up his neck at the thought and held her gaze as he waited for an answer.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smiled softly, glad to hear that the information she had been giving him helped the villagers. With storm dying down and being close to him again, she suddenly found the moment rather peaceful. Though she wanted to get back to camp, she found that part of her was rather content in staying besides Crow in his old home. She looked up at him as he spoke again and asked her about when they should meet again. The knight paused to think it over.

It was a bit difficult to say how much time she would need. There was a lot to consider and if she did end up choosing him, there were still issues she'd have to figure out before meeting up with him. The biggest being her courtship with Gavin. She'd have to end it and doing so could prove to be more troublesome in the future if her father found out about it. He was the one who had forced her into the courtship in the first place, so she doubted he would be too accepting of her ending it on her own terms.

As he mentioned meeting at his home rather than tavern, she gave a small nod. "We can meet here." She agreed. Penelope liked the sound of meeting at his childhood home more so than the tavern, especially considering their past history as well as how they had come to meet their for business as of late. The knight made a mental note to pay attention to the outside of it when she left. Having been rather terrified by the storm, she hadn't been paying much attention to her surrounds when he had led her to the home and wanted to make sure she'd be able to find it when their next meeting came.

"Let's meet again here in three days." She told him decisively. "That should be enough time for me to figure things out." The knight reluctantly moved her head off of his shoulder. With the rain fading, it seemed they'd be able to leave soon. Penelope fell silent for a moment before lowering her gaze to the ground. "Thank you... For giving me this chance I mean, to figure out everything out."

[Rogue Sloth]

As Penelope agreed that they could meet at the house instead of the tavern, Crow let out his breath in relief. He hadn’t been sure how she would take his request, since this location was a bit farther away for both of them than the tavern was, and the house wasn’t in the best condition, so it wasn’t overly welcoming or comfortable. He was glad she was willing to accommodate him in spite of those things. It would be nice to have the privacy when she would inevitably either take him back or confirm that she was going to hold onto the life she already had for herself.

“Three days it is,” Crow nodded when she gave him a time. They hadn’t even left for their camps yet, but he already felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement for day to come. In just three days, he would know for sure whether he and Penelope would get together again or not. The anticipation sent his heart racing.

Until then, I have a lot to do, he thought, lowering his gaze to his lap. He wasn’t just looking for a cure for himself anymore; he was doing it for Penelope too. After all, he didn’t want her to sacrifice everything for him if he wasn’t going to get better. It wouldn’t be fair of him to ask her to do that.

Crow turned to Penelope once more as she thanked him. “Of course,” he smiled. “This is a big decision, and you shouldn’t have to make it on the spot.” Glancing out the window once more, he noticed it had been a while since he last heard any thunder, and the rain had slowed to a steady drizzle.

“Seems like we should start heading back, huh?” he mused, standing up from the bed and moving to gather his cloak from the floor. While he was up, he grabbed Penelope’s cloak as well and handed it to her. Putting on his own, he tried to ignore the chill of the still soaked fabric that hung from his shoulders.

Once he was ready to go, Crow put out the lantern and set it back on the dusty table where he had found it. He stepped over to the front door and pulled it open, glancing back at Penelope one more time, “I’ll see you in three days.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope nodded her head as he mentioned they should start heading back. She took her cloak from him, mumbling a word of thanks, and tried to squeeze out more of the water before throwing the wet clothing over her shoulders again. The knight gave a small shiver before moving towards the door. She looked over at Crow and nodded her head. "See you." She said before parting ways with the thief.

As he headed off towards the ravine, Penelope stepped out and headed off in the direction of camp. Now alone and not panicking because of the storm, she found her mind buzzing with thoughts of what had happened between them. Her heart pounded both nervously and excitedly in her chest. She certainly didn't regret telling Crow how she felt, even though it had happened rather suddenly, but now it left her with a big decision to make. She had three days to think it over but the knight was already trying to figure out what she wanted as she walked alone.

Two years ago she would have easily given everything up for Crow if the war had been prevented. However, since those plans were destroyed, she had focused heavily on her career. Penelope glanced over her shoulder towards the village of Myrefall as she considered what she had been able to do to help the outer villages thanks to her position as a lieutenant. It had felt rather empowering to make a difference in the war and she'd be lying to say that she didn't want to do more of that. If she chose to stay, perhaps she'd be able to go even farther to make a difference for the outer villages, especially if she had Gavin at her side who shared a similar goal.

But would that be enough for me? She wondered as Crow crossed through her mind. She had come to accept that she loved him and that it was unlikely for her to love any other man, even Gavin, like she did him. Though they had been on rocky terms at first because of her initial decision, she seemed to have naturally drifted back into working with him and grew close to him again rather easily. She thought of the future she had once planned for with him in Farhill. She had believed that future to be long dead but now, it wasn't and a familiar longing to run off with the thief tugged strongly at her heart. The knight felt torn in two.

As she reached the knight's camp, she quietly snuck back into her tent, relieved to finally be back. She changed out of the peasant clothing and quickly laid down for the night. Though she felt conflicted, Penelope was far too tired to stay up for much longer. She soon drifted off into a deep sleep, leaving the confusion she felt to be better addressed in the coming days.

[Rogue Sloth]

With nothing left to do but go home, Crow made his way back to the ravine from Myrefall. Being tired and cold from the late night storm, it wasn’t the most pleasant walk of his life. In fact, the only good thing about it was the fact that there were no knights around to see him. He guessed they were all probably taking shelter until the last of the rain subsided, which was fortunate for him because it meant that he didn’t have to travel as carefully as he normally did.

After a while, he returned to the thieves’ hideout to find that the others had already weatherproofed their camp while he had been away. Their supplies had been put up, the fire pit had been covered, and the shelter had even been reinforced with extra animal skins. He was glad they had been so efficient. Now, all he had left to worry about was changing into dry clothes, and then he would have a warm and comfortable night.

He wasted no time in doing just that. After digging through a bag of clothes the thieves had stolen a while back, he found a shirt and pants that looked like they would fit him. He changed quickly and headed into the shelter to get out of the sprinkling rain before the new clothes got wet enough to chill his skin.

Inside, he made his way over to his bed mat, moving carefully to avoid waking up the others, and laid down for the night. As he reached to draw his blanket over himself, he noticed that there was a second one piled on top of the first, and he smiled to himself. Someone—he guessed it had probably been Rikki—had given him an extra blanket to keep warm during the storm. He closed his eyes, pulling both blankets up to his chin, and let out his breath in a content exhale as he drifted off to sleep.

--

The next morning, Crow woke up feeling stiff. He sat up slowly and stretched with a tired yawn. Between his long walk through the cold rain and the fact that his wounds were still healing, he supposed he was going to feel sore for a while. Regardless, he didn’t mind the discomfort too much, because the conversation that he’d had with Penelope the previous night was worth it. His heart beat a little quicker as he thought about everything that had happened between them during the storm. It wouldn’t be much longer before she gave him her answer.

Too worked up to sit still any longer, he threw off his blanket and got up to go outside. In the camp, he saw that all three of his companions were sitting by the fire pit, eating dark bread that they had taken from the knights during their last raid. He walked over to join them, tearing off a part of a loaf for himself as he sat down next to Alistair.

“How did it go?” Simon asked curtly.

“Hm?” Crow blinked, looking up at him with an inquisitive frown.

“Your meeting,” Simon bit into his piece of bread. “What did the knight tell you this time?”

“Oh, right,” Crow popped some food into his mouth and chewed slowly, stalling for time as he tried to remember what Penelope had told him before the storm had happened. “She said the knights from our kingdom aren’t going to attack Younis again until they get another shipment of supplies for the war. Until then, we still have some time to recover.”

“Interesting,” Alistair smirked. “So you’re saying they won’t start another battle until they get new supplies?”

“I’m already way ahead of you,” Crow returned his look with a mischievous grin. “I want you all to keep a look out for incoming supply wagons for the next few weeks. If you find one…” he tore off another piece of bread in his hands. “Take everything.”

“You got it, boss,” Rikki exchanged an excited look with Alistair.

Crow laughed, finding their enthusiasm entertaining. Among the four of them, he was sure that Rikki and Alistair would be the most efficient at sabotaging the knights’ war supplies. They were the wildest and most unpredictable of the thieves, which made them a frightening pair when they worked together on heists. He had no doubts that they would be more than capable of cutting off the knights’ war supplies on their own.

“That’s all fine,” Simon spoke up again with a skeptical look. “But that won’t stop the Younisians from attacking first. If we only target the knights from our kingdom, we’re only dealing with half of the problem.”

“That’s why you and I will go to the Younisian battlefront and do the same to them,” Crow said simply. “We’ll make the trip in four or five days. By then, I should be feeling well enough to conduct a raid on their supplies without any trouble.”

Simon thought over his leader’s words and then nodded, “Alright. I don’t think this plan of yours will work in the long term, but I’m willing to try it and see what happens.”

“That’s all I’m asking,” Crow grinned at him. “As long as the Younisians don’t attack within the next week, we should be able to hold off the next battle for a while.”

--

After breakfast, Crow spent the rest of his morning pacing the length of the ravine as he took the time to think over his dilemma. Whether Penelope took him back or not, he needed to start seriously looking for a cure for his illness again. After all, the knight wasn’t the only one he was doing this for. The thieves he had committed to lead needed him too. He couldn’t just give up after he had been given a medicine to hide his symptoms. Even though he couldn’t feel the pain of the disease anymore, he couldn’t keep pretending like nothing was wrong. The spells of fatigue had begun. He was clearly getting worse.

He stopped by the edge of the river and bent down to pick up a flat rock, tossing it up and down in his hand as he continued to work through his thoughts. The herbalist in Myrefall had been a dead end, but that didn’t necessarily mean there was nothing out there that could heal him. He just wished he knew more about medicinal plants. The extent of his knowledge ran only as far as what was edible and what was poisonous, and even then, he didn’t know everything. He had only learned what Hazel Ansgot had had time to teach him.

Hazel. Crow blinked. Of course! Why didn’t I think of her before? His heart beat a little quicker in his chest as he started to gain hope again. Hazel was the most talented herbalist in the outer villages. If anyone could find the cure to his illness, it would be her. He just hoped he could find her, since, as the most talented herbalist, she was always traveling to different villages to heal the peasants who couldn’t afford to see a real physician.

I have to try. He tossed the rock in his hand into the air one more time before cocking his arm back and launching it into the river. Even if she’s not there, I can leave a message with Evelyn, so she’ll know I was looking for her.

Having come to a decision, he turned to head back to the camp so he could prepare to leave for Silverpool.

[BuzzingBee]

When morning came, Penelope woke up nearly thinking that the night had before had just been a dream. She slowly sat up and ran a hand through her hair as she recalled everything that had happened. Her heart raced a little as she thought of how Crow still loved her and how close they had been, even if it was only for a moment. The knight closed her eyes and let out a long sigh as she had to face the more challenging part of the memory, finding out her answer.

She stood up and headed out of her tent to start the day, grabbing breakfast and sitting down with a few of her comrades. As she ate, she spotted Gavin approaching out of the corner of her eye. The sight of him made her a bit nervous as she was suddenly unsure how to act around her suitor while she was considering leaving him for Crow. "Morning." She finally greeted him as he sat down besides her.

"Morning." Gavin said offering a small smile. He eyed her for a moment before resting his hand on hers and she tensed slightly at his touch. He frowned and looked over at her questioningly. "Did you sleep alright?"

"Yeah.. The storm made it a bit difficult but I managed." She lied, still not wanting him to know about her fear. "At least the weather cleared up today though."

Gavin nodded his head in agreement. "So what's the plan for today? If you're not too busy, I was thinking we could get away from camp for a bit." He offered quietly. "I'm sure we could both use a break from people like your brother constantly complaining about what happened with the thief." He smiled hopefully at her. "What do you think?"

Penelope faltered slightly at his offer. With everything she was considering, the female knight wanted to put a little bit of distance between her and Gavin until she was able to figure out if she was going to stay with him or not. She returned his smile. "That sounds nice but I'm afraid I'm booked for the day. I need to speak with Mia for awhile about some plans for future battles. Sorry."

"It's alright. Maybe a different time." He mused with a shrug. Penelope gave him an appreciative look, glad that he didn't push for her to find the time.

---

"The battle at Grimsby was sloppy. See that's what happens when you let a fool like Bennet make a few decisions."

As morning turned to day, Penelope had stayed partially true to her words to Gavin. She joined Mia alone in her private tent, speaking with the baroness about the last battle. Mia sat back in her chair with her arms folded across her chest and a look of annoyance on her face as spoke about their loss. It seemed that the woman didn't take defeat very easily and from what Penelope could tell, she was planning on avenging the loss the Brerratic troops had suffered.

"I'm sure we'll be able to take back Grimsby." Penelope mused with a shrug.

"Of course we will. With those two half-wits chasing after a petty thief, I'll focus on making sure the Younisians suffer a complete defeat." Mia stated confidently.

Penelope smiled in amusement at Mia's words. She looked over at the baroness and hesitated. Mia was a strong and powerful woman, someone she greatly respected. The knight let out a small sigh, wishing that she could simply ask Mia for advice on her current situation. Though she couldn't ask directly, perhaps there was some way to still have Mia help, even if indirectly. She glanced curiously at her higher up.

"Mia... I was wondering, why did you choose me to be your lieutenant?" She asked. "I mean, you approached me about it right after my failed mission. Surely there had to be someone else better suited.. And besides you already have Tomas."

Mia looked over at Penelope and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you asking this now?... Is this because of what happened with that thief? Honestly Penelope you shouldn't worry about such things during a war."

"No, no it's not just that." She said quickly. "I just wanted to know. I've always been curious."

The baroness eyed her for a moment before giving a small nod. "Well.. If you must know, it's because I think you're capable of great things. You see, you're an interesting person, Penelope. You're a noble, but you're not blinded by wealth or power.. Much unlike most of your family." She smirked and stood up, walking over to Penelope. "Even I get wrapped up in such things but I have yet to see that happen to you.. Also, your views are quite different than my own. I like to focus on our borders, fighting for them, expanding them, guarding them. You, however, like to focus on what's inside them. Your family, your friends, even the people out here in the villages."

"While I appreciate the praise, I'm not the only one like that." Penelope said as she held the baroness' gaze. "Like Gavin for example."

Mia gave a soft snort. "While I understand your fondness for your suitor, he is not the same as you, Penelope. He may share similar values but you're much different. Gavin works within the premade laws, doing what he is suppose to, doing what he is told to. You, however, do what you can. You change the rules." Her eyes gleamed. "Just like how you got an extension for your mission from Younis. That's what first got my attention. I'll admit, I was worried I had misjudged you but when we fought at Whitebridge and you took matters into your own hands again, I knew I had made the right choice."

Penelope fell silent for a moment as she took in Mia's words. She wasn't sure she completely agreed with them. One had been a desperate and rather impulsive act to try and retrieve the staff merely because she had been too stubborn to let go of Crow easily. The second, she had just been desperate to end unnecessary slaughter of the villagers. They didn't seem to deserve the praise that Mia was giving them. But, the knight trusted the baroness' judgement so she didn't argue against her words. However, it left her wondering what Mia expected from her after the war.

"I see.." She mumbled with a small nod. ".. Then, what exactly do you see for my future, Mia?"

"No one can predict the future dear." Mia said before giving a sly smirk. "But I can try. After this war you'll have gained great experience and a good reputation so long as you continue as you are. I can't guarantee how far you'll be able to go but I don't think you should limit yourself. You're a bright girl with a strong head and heart. Perhaps you'll rise to my rank one day. Or perhaps even further. I'm not sure. It depends on what you want and what you're willing to do to get there." Mia paused then looked at her questioningly. "What's with these questions?"

"Nothing. Just... thinking about after the war." She replied absent-mindedly. Mia's words circled in her head. Part of her liked the sound of continuing to rise up in her career and Mia seemed rather confident that she'd be able to do it. As a baroness, the things she could do would be far greater than what she was currently able to do. However, her desire to go chasing after such things was small. Titles and power had never interested her very much and they still didn't. While she might be able to help more, Penelope felt doubtful that was what she wanted the more she thought about it. Crow had always helped the outer villages and she was sure she could find a way to do the same.

The two focused back on battle plans now that Penelope had gotten a bit of what she was looking for out of Mia. She was grateful for the baroness' willingness to speak with her about such things and felt like it would help her decide her future when the time came.

[Rogue Sloth]

“I still don’t get it,” Rikki propped her hands on her hips as she watched Crow pack a travel bag. “What’s so special about this girl that you have to see her right now?”

“I already told you,” Crow sighed. “I just have some business with her that I need to take care of. It’s personal, and it’s nothing you need to concern yourself about.” He slung the bag over his shoulder and adjusted it, so it fell comfortably against his back. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back in two days.”

“Are you sure you should make this trip by yourself?” she went on persistently. “Your wounds are still far from healed.” She stepped forward. “Let me come with you! I can help you if you run into any trouble.”

Crow let out his breath in exasperation, “I’ll be fine, love. Really.” He met her gaze, feeling a pang of sympathy for the thief as he noticed how worried she looked. In an attempt to comfort her, he reached out and gathered her in his arms, pressing her head to his chest. “I appreciate how you look out for me, but this is something I have to do alone,” he said softly. “I would tell you more if I could, but you’re just going to have to trust me. Alright?”

Rikki hesitated for a moment before she finally nodded, “Fine. Just… be careful. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you, Crow.”

That’s exactly why I need to do this, he thought with a surge of resolve. “I promise I will,” he reassured her, stepping back again and meeting her gaze with a grin. “I’ll be back so quickly, you won’t even miss me.”

“I doubt that,” Rikki smiled halfheartedly. Leaning up on her toes, she pressed a kiss to his lips. He met her halfway, but instead of lingering as he normally did, Penelope’s face flashed through his mind, and he pulled back again. Now that he knew she was considering being with him again, he felt strange getting physical with Rikki. Even though he had no feelings for the thief that ran deeper than friendship, he wanted to take the knight’s offer more seriously. That meant no more fooling around.

Fortunately for him, Rikki didn’t seem to notice his discomfort. She said nothing about it as she stepped away to give him room to leave. “I’ll see you when you get back,” she said with a parting nod.

“See you then,” Crow returned the gesture. “Make sure Simon doesn’t get too big-headed about being made temporary leader until I’m back.”

“I’ll try my best,” Rikki snorted.

Crow smirked at her comment and turned to head up the side of the ravine, making his way west towards Silverpool.

--

Traveling nowhere near the knights’ camp, Crow had an easy trek through the forest. He walked at a leisurely pace, moving only as fast as he needed to reach Silverpool by nightfall. It had been a while since he had last been to see Evelyn and Hazel—he hadn’t stayed with them since before the last winter—and he wondered how they were doing now. He hoped the war hadn’t been too hard on them. The village of Silverpool was close to the Younisian border, so it wasn’t unlikely that they had seen quite a few battles already. However, even though he hoped they were doing okay, he also hoped that the fighting meant Hazel would be around to treat the wounds of the people in her home village when he arrived.

As day turned to night, Crow was beginning to think that Rikki hadn’t been completely wrong about his condition. His already sore wounds pained him even more after he had been walking for so long, and his energy waned to the point where he found it difficult to make it the rest of the way to the village. How much of the fatigue was due to his illness, however, he couldn’t yet say. All he knew was that he wanted a mug of Evelyn’s famous honey mead to quench his thirst and a bed in her home to sleep off his weariness.

To his relief, he arrived in Silverpool not long after the last light of dusk faded from the sky. He headed straight for Evelyn’s tavern, his heart beating a bit quicker with excitement at the thought of seeing the old woman again. When he reached the Black Dagger, he wasted no time in pulling open the front door and stepping inside. He made his way to the nearest table, his eyes roving over the room as he searched for the keeper.

After a moment, he spotted her carrying a tray of drinks to a group of peasant women on the other side of the room. From what he could tell, she looked to be in good health, and for that, he was glad. He sat back in his chair and waited, fidgeting with the hem of his tunic in his eagerness to see her again and his urgency to find out if her daughter was in town.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long.

After she finished serving the drinks on her tray, Evelyn caught sight of him staring at her and made her way over to greet him. “Look who it is,” she mused with a glint of fondness in her eyes. “It’s good to see that you’re still alive and kicking. It’s been so long since I last heard from you, I was beginning to think you had gotten killed in this war.”

“Not yet,” Crow grinned proudly. “And I intend to keep it that way.”

Evelyn chuckled in amusement at his words, “Where are those friends of yours? The ones who you showed up with the last time you visited. Are you still traveling with them?”

“I am,” he nodded. “But I came here alone.” He shifted his weight slightly as he went on. “Truth be told… I came here to find someone specific.”

“Oh?” Evelyn quirked a brow. “And who might that be?”

“Your daughter, Hazel,” he answered, averting his gaze. “I have something I wish to speak to her about.”

“Is that so?” Evelyn mused. “Well, you’re in luck. She’s coming back to the village sometime tomorrow.”

“Really?” Crow looked up at her again in pleasant surprise.

“Yes, but I can’t promise she’ll be willing to speak with you. She still seems to hold a grudge against you for whatever it was that you did to her a few years ago.”

“I figured as much,” he sighed. Hazel could be a vengeful person, so it was no surprise to him that she was still mad at him for abandoning her when she had been expecting him to court her long ago. The last time they had seen each other, he had apologized for what he had done, but she hadn’t forgiven him even then.

Evelyn’s gaze softened slightly as she looked at him, “If you still wish to try to speak to her when she returns, I’d be more than happy to provide you with a bed for the night.”

Crow nodded, “I would appreciate that, thank you. The matter I came to discuss with her is important. I can’t leave until I try.”

“Well, I wish you the best of luck, Crow,” she rested a hand on his shoulder. “I know how hard-headed my Hazel can be, but I’m sure you’ll be able to get through to her if it really is as important as you say.”

“Thanks,” he gave a halfhearted smile, feeling a little reassured by the tavern keeper’s confidence.

“Mhm. In the meantime, let me bring you a drink,” Evelyn stepped back. “You look like you’ve been traveling all day and could use one.”

“Gods, yes,” Crow groaned. “I’d love a honey mead right now.”

“Of course,” the tavern keeper chuckled. “I’ll have that right out for you.”

Murmuring one last word of thanks, the thief watched her go. He smiled to himself, propping his elbow on the table and resting his chin in his hand. Though the journey had been long and his reason for coming wasn’t the most joyous, he was happy to be back in Silverpool.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope spent most of her day with Mia. The baroness seemed fueled by the sudden discussion to heavily focus on their next battle plans. Tomas soon joined the two, eager to help out as well as spend time with Mia. Eventually their conversation of battle plans faded and the three just chatted and enjoyed each other's company. It was nice and it also reminded Penelope of what she would miss if she chose to leave with Crow. Over the two years, she had somehow found a more firm place amongst her comrades and was able to find some that even seemed to share her similar ideas and views. If she left, she'd miss their company.

As the sun got lower in the sky, Penelope and Tomas parted ways with Mia to join the rest of their comrades for dinner as night began to fall. Walking besides Tomas, she side glanced curiously at the older lieutenant. "Tomas, I've been wondering... You clearly love Mia, so have you tried to court her before?"

Tomas blinked in surprise. He turned his head to look over at Penelope with wide eyes, looking like a startled deer, and a blush appeared on his cheeks. "W-What are you talking about?" He stuttered. "I don't.. I mean, it's not.. What?"

"Your feelings are pretty obvious for her." She said with a soft chuckle. The knight hadn't meant to get him flustered but it was a bit amusing to see him attempt to hide it. No wonder Olivia always pulls this crap. She thought with a small shake of her head. "But seriously.. have you ever tried?"

Tomas seemed to calm down and let out a defeated sigh, accepting the topic of conversation. He shifted his gaze away from the female knight and shook his head. "No.. Of course not."

"Why do you say it like that? You love her don't you?"

"I do.." He blushed. "B-But I have no right courting her. I mean, she's a baroness. I have nothing to offer her.. Besides I don't think she's interested in anything like courting or marriage. You know Mia.. She likes her independence." Tomas gaze fondly ahead as he spoke. "It's one of the things I admire about her.. Anyways, I'm content with just being her lieutenant."

Penelope looked over at Tomas. His words partially reminded her of Crow and how he had talked about if she was willing to give everything up for him. She felt her heartbeat a little fast again, desiring to assure Crow of just how much he meant to her and just how much she did want to be with him. I'm getting ahead of myself.. I still need to think.. She told herself as she let out a long exhale. "Well.. You never know until you try." She mumbled to Tomas. She wasn't quite sure if Mia shared mutual feelings for Tomas, the baroness was difficult to read, but part of her found herself rooting for her fellow lieutenant.

The two split up as Penelope made her way to join Olivia and Gavin for dinner, taking a seat between the two as they ate their meals. Olivia and Gavin began to squabble as Olivia make a couple snarky remarks regarding Gavin's strictness. Penelope didn't pay much attention to the two, not even bothering to end the argument like usual. The knight had a lot on her mind and was rather distracted.

"Hello~? Earth to Penelope!" Olivia poked her shoulder. Penelope blinked and looked over at her.

"Sorry.. What?" She asked

Olivia glanced towards Gavin before looking back at Penelope. "I was just saying how Gavin needs to learn how to relax... What's with you?"

"Nothing. Just thinking." Penelope replied with a shrug.

"About what?" Olivia inquired curiously with a smirk.

"I'd like to know this too. You were out of it earlier today too." Gavin added looking concerned.

"It's nothing. Just the stuff I talked about with Mia today.." Penelope lied with a dismissive wave of her hand. Eying the night sky, she slowly got up from where she was sitting. "And I'm tired. I think I'm going to head to bed a bit early. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Alright.." Gavin said with a concerned frown. "Night."

"See ya." Olivia said eying her with a small smirk that Penelope didn't trust.

However, she didn't say anything and merely waved goodbye to the two before heading off to her tent. The knight stretched and laid down but didn't go to sleep right away. She had a lot on her mind and wanted a bit of time alone to simply relax. Eventually the knight grew tired and closed her eyes, soon drifting off into a light sleep.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow spent the remainder of his night catching up with Evelyn in the tavern while she cleaned up. Even though he was tired, he wanted to take the opportunity to find out how the village of Silverpool was faring in the war. From what the tavern keeper could tell him, it sounded like they were still doing alright. They had seen a few small battles, but so far there hadn’t been anything devastating enough to cause the villagers any serious problems. Of course, they had suffered a few losses, but apart from that, they were going on with their lives just fine.

After a while, he grew too weary to stay up, so he said his goodbyes to Evelyn and headed off to her house to get some rest. As he walked down the main road, he looked absently over the surrounding houses, his mind wandering back to his conversation with Penelope the night before. It still felt so surreal. For the last two years of his life, he had thought she was gone and that he would never even see her again. Then, just a few weeks ago, he had found her again, but she seemed to have moved on with her life and didn’t want to be with him anymore. Now, after all of that, the door had been opened again for them to be together once more. He shook his head. It was hard to believe it was real.

He knew he had told her to take all the time she needed to make her decision, but the wait was already getting hard to endure. He wished he had some way to predict what she was going to choose, but he really couldn’t say. She had been willing to give up everything for him before, but now she had so much more to lose: her power, her status, her reputation, even her nobleman suitor. Would she really sacrifice all of that for a thief? Even if she still loved him just as much as before, it was a lot to ask. Part of him even hoped she would choose not to be with him, just so he wouldn’t have to bear the weight of taking everything away from her.

Feeling conflicted, Crow pushed the thought aside. He couldn’t put that burden on himself. As he had told Penelope the other night: It was her decision to make. Regardless of what he thought she should do, the knight was the one who would ultimately decide her own fate. If she was still willing to give up her life as a knight for him, then he wasn’t going to try to change her mind.

He let out his breath in a sigh. He just wished he didn’t feel so trapped. If she chose to continue on with her life as it was, he would have to suffer through her rejection twice. However, if she chose to be with him, he would be happy that they were together, but he would also feel like he had stolen her life away from her. It was a difficult position to be in.

When he finally reached Evelyn’s house, he pushed open the door and stepped inside. Since the old woman harbored thieves often, she usually left her door unlocked to make her home easier for them to access. In exchange, they promised not to steal anything from her. It was a simple system that worked well for everyone involved.

Having spent a lot of time in her house throughout varies parts of his life, Crow had no trouble navigating his way to the room she had set up for guests without lighting a lantern. He walked over to the bed, finding it already prepared with a pillow and blanket, and smiled to himself. Evelyn was always ready to have guests over, even when she had no notice of their arrival. It was one of the many qualities that he appreciated about the old woman. If he ever found himself in need of a place to stay, he knew he could count on her to take him in at the last minute.

He yawned tiredly and laid down on the bed, drawing the blanket over himself as he relaxed into the soft mattress. Being able to sleep on a real bed was luxurious to him in his sore and battered state. He knew he would have no trouble at all falling asleep on it, even with his concerns about Penelope’s decision.

And he wasn’t wrong. Almost as soon as he closed his eyes, the thief drifted off into a sound slumber.

--

The next morning, Crow woke up feeling much better than he had the day before. His body still ached from his wounds, but the pain had dulled to the point where he could almost forget it was there if he distracted himself. He sat up and stretched languidly, enjoying the feeling of being so well rested for the first time in a while. It was a pleasant change from the way he usually woke up—stiff and cold from sleeping on the ground all night.

After taking a little while longer to wait for the last of his weariness to fade, he climbed down from the bed and made his way into the main room of Evelyn’s house. The old woman was preparing breakfast when he arrived. She looked up and greeted him with a nod, “Good morning.”

“Morning,” he yawned in return, sitting down at a table in the parlor.

A brief silence fell between them as Evelyn turned her attention back to making breakfast. When she finished, she brought over two plates of cooked eggs, setting one down in front of the thief before taking a seat across from him at the table. He mumbled a word of thanks and dug into his meal, grateful that she had given him quite a bit of food to sate his ravenous appetite.

When he finished his eggs, Crow leaned back in his chair and met Evelyn’s gaze to ask, “So, do you know when Hazel will be back today?”

“I’m not sure,” the tavern keeper answered. “She only wrote that she intended to be home before dusk.”

“I see,” Crow frowned, drumming his fingers on the table in thought. “Do you think she’ll stay if she sees me here?” He was concerned that, in her hate for him, Evelyn’s daughter might cut her visit short if she knew he was staying in Silverpool. The last time they had run into each other, Evelyn had been the one to convince Hazel not to leave, and even then, it had taken quite a bit of persuasion. The stubborn girl might not be so easily persuaded a second time.

“I can’t say,” Evelyn said honestly. “You’ll just have to hope she’s in a good mood, I suppose.”

“Hm,” he grunted. “Well, in any case, if she might be a while, there’s no point in me waiting around here.” He stood up from the table. “Thanks again for breakfast. I’m going to go for a walk.”

“Mhm,” she nodded. “If you need me for any reason, don’t be afraid to ask. I’ll be heading to the tavern to open up around midday.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” Crow said appreciatively. “See you later, love.”

Dropping off his plate in her kitchen, he headed out to explore the town, intending to pass the time by checking up on the village as he waited for Hazel to arrive.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope woke up early the next morning. She stretched and squinted her eyes at the early morning sun. Standing up, she headed out of her tent and out into the camp. Usually she woke up later than most, due to either having guard duty or meeting with Crow but having neither of those the night before, she found that she was actually up before most. The camp was quieter than she was used to and only a few of her comrades, aside from some guards, were awake.

Enjoying the peace of the early morning, she walked quietly through the camp, soon getting lost in thought. Her mind wandered to how she had felt two years ago and how similar that old heartache had felt when she had originally answered Crow upon his return. She had been in denial about her feelings then, suppressing them so that she could continue on with her life, only for them to eventually burst free as she was unable to just let him go. It only made her realize just how much she didn't want to let him go again.

I'm content with my life.. But it isn't what I wanted. She thought as she slowed her pace to look up at the morning sky. What I wanted was a life with him... I think I still do.. Penelope felt her face get warm at the thought. She felt more certain now after speaking with Mia and her short conversation with Tomas. While the future Mia described didn't sound bad, it didn't share the same appeal as leaving with Crow to leave in the outer villages despite the risks that were involved.

"I'm not going out there again.. I'm tired." Grumbled someone from nearby.

"We're getting close to finding him again. You can't seriously be quitting now." Layth growled.

Penelope turned her head to look over as Layth argued with another knight about going on a patrol for the thieves. The other knight appeared tired and waved at Layth dismissively before retiring into his tent. Layth gave a furious look and clenched his fists at his side. "Pathetic." He spat before turning to storm off. However, as he turned, he immediately came face to face with Penelope. He blinked and then narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'll go on patrol with you, Layth." Penelope offered. Seeing him had reminded her of another issue with leaving and that was how her family would likely disown her. Though it didn't bother her very much, considering how her uncle acted, she knew it would be a little difficult to accept that her brother and father, the two she had left Crow behind to defend, would eventually turn against her.

"You'll just get in the way." Layth snorted.

"Yeah, just like I got in the way of the dagger that nearly killed you." Penelope responded crossing her arms.

Layth scowled at her. "At least I didn't let him get away."

"Look, we can go back and forth all day or we can go on a patrol. Which would you prefer?"

Layth curled his lip up at her words, clearly irritated. However, he had no argument. "Fine." He growled and began to storm off towards the tree line. "If you slow me down, I'm leaving you behind."

"Of course.." Penelope muttered under her breath before moving to quickly follow him.

---

The two siblings trekked into the woods in the direction of Whitebridge. Penelope pretended to remain alert even though she was rather certain they wouldn't be running into any of the thieves there. The two remained silent as they walked. Layth was tense with hostility still seeming rather unhappy that his sister had managed to squeeze her way into a patrol with him. Penelope looked over at him. Despite how cold he was to her and most people, he was still someone she cared about and wanted to protect. It would hurt to see him fully turn against her.

"Layth.. I want to know more.. About what happened between father and my mother." She said suddenly.

Layth faltered in his step and whirled his head around to look over at her. "Why are you asking about that?" He grumbled. "Haven't I already told you enough?"

"You told me what you knew about my mother.. That's true but you never really spoke much about how father reacted to it all. I want to know.. You were there when he chose to be with her, when he lost her, and when we got accepted back." Penelope said giving him a pleading look.

"You should be focused on the patrol." Layth snorted shaking his head.

"I can multitask. But if you can't then, I understand." Penelope commented challengingly.

"You're a pain in the ass." Layth grunted, keeping his gaze focused ahead. "What do you want to know?"

"Well.. How did father step in when your mother was going to send away mine?" She asked.

Layth paused, clenching his fists at his sides. "He basically said he was going to leave us for her. That he didn't care what she or anyone else thought. That servant had seduced him so thoroughly he was prepared to turn on his family."

"Did he come to regret it?" Penelope asked in a quieter voice as she looked over at Layth. "When they left to the outer villages, did he regret it?"

"He was so blinded by that bitch.." Layth growled with a hateful look in his eyes. "He didn't even realize what he had done until she finally died.. So yes, he regretted it. Our father was able to redeem himself once she was out of the picture and that's the only reason we're still nobles. You should be thankful she died soon enough for you to be able to rise up with us."

Penelope frowned a little at her brother's harsh words. It was how he usually spoke about her mother, words filled with hatred over past events. However, she still wished there was someone else to talk to about the woman, someone who was fond of her. Still, Layth's words were helpful, regardless of the heavy bias. Layth might have claimed that their father regretted being with their mother but Penelope wasn't quick to believe him. At some point in her life, she did believe that John had regretted his past decision but now she began to think that might not actually be the case.

When she died, he must have been in pain... He probably didn't regret being with her, he was just hurt over losing her and did his best to get back the life he once had since she was gone.. Penelope blinked, coming to understand her father a bit more clearly now after sharing what she believed to be a similar experience. It made her wonder that if her father would actually be able to understand her decision to be with Crow. Though she had her doubts considering he was a thief not just a peasant, a small part of her held onto a hope that perhaps not all of her family would completely turn on her. The same, unfortunately, could not be hoped for Layth. Her brother held too much anger to ever come to understand her or her reasonings.