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

[Rogue Sloth]

When Crow was woken up by Simon the next day, he felt much more tired than usual. Sitting up slowly on his bed, he found it difficult not to lay back down and go back to sleep. He shook his head and stretched in an attempt to clear away some of the grogginess. It seemed like staying up until nearly dawn had taken a bigger toll on him than he thought.

As he continued to look around, he blinked in surprise to find that they weren’t alone anymore. One of the other thieves must have gotten up early to evacuate the villagers, because their camp was now surrounded by peasant women and children. He shuddered as he realized he had slept through the whole thing. Even with his illness, it wasn’t like him to sleep so heavily. He needed to be able to wake up if knights or bounty hunters found his camp, so it was unnerving to find out he hadn’t even been roused by half of an entire village.

Suddenly feeling more awake, he got up and joined his companions for breakfast. Fortunately, it seemed like he wasn’t the only one who had gotten up late that morning. Alistair, Rikki, and Hazel were all still bleary-eyed as well. He guessed that Simon must have been the one to get up early and make all of the preparations as well as wake up the rest of them.

Since none of the thieves had gotten very good sleep that night, they didn’t speak much as they ate their meal of bland porridge that Simon had prepared. Crow’s mind wandered back to the upcoming battle as he realized it was going to be happening soon. He and all of his companions had been exhausted by the last fight, so he hoped they would be able to handle this one as well. He didn’t want any of them to put themselves in unnecessary danger if they were too tired to continue.

The knights have to be just as exhausted as we are though, he thought, swallowing another bite of food. We’ll be fine. Everyone is going to be on equal footing. Feeling a bit reassured by the thought, he finished off the rest of his breakfast and stood up. “The knights from our kingdom are probably going to be here soon,” he said, glancing between the others. “We should leave as soon as everyone is done eating, so we get there ahead of them.”

“Of course,” Simon nodded.

“Ugh,” Alistair groaned. “I’ll be glad when this is all over, so I can go back to sleep.”

“Me too,” Hazel yawned. “Although I might even take a little nap while the four of you are gone.”

“You should,” Simon said with a casual shrug that Crow thought looked forced. “You’re doing quite a bit for us, so you should get some more sleep if you need it.”

Hazel eyed him for a moment before breaking out in a grin, “Alright, then I will.” Shoveling down the rest of her porridge she climbed to her feet and turned to head over to her bed. “Wake me when you get back,” she said to them, raising a hand in a lazy wave without looking back as she walked off.

“Well, I’m jealous,” Alistair muttered.

“You’ll get to sleep soon enough,” Crow assured him. “Once this battle is over, we all will.”

Once all of the thieves had finished their food, they collected their weapons and headed down the ridge to Grimsby. The time was near midday, as the sun had almost reached its peak in the clear blue sky above. Crow couldn’t help but think it was too nice of a day to spend fighting in a battle, but unfortunately, they didn’t have much of an option. He adjusted the bow on his shoulder as he looked out over the forest around them and then stiffened as he saw movement through the trees.

“Um, guys,” he glanced back at his companions and gestured towards the distant figures. “Looks like we’re not quite as far ahead of them as we thought.”

Simon cursed under his breath. “We can still beat them if we hurry,” he said, turning towards Crow with a concerned frown. “Do you think you can manage a faster pace?”

“Anything less than a run,” he nodded, already picking up his pace. “Come on. We need to get to Grimsby before they do.”

The four thieves hastened to a light jog as they covered the rest of the ground between the ridge and the village. As they had hoped, they managed to arrive far enough ahead of the knights to regroup with the villagers who had stayed behind to fight. Fortunately, the Younisian knights in the area didn’t question them either, since they just looked like ordinary peasants.

When they reached the villagers, tension was thick in the air, since everyone knew the majority of this battle was going to happen right in the middle of Grimsby. Simon, Alistair, and Rikki attempted to organize the people with their limited knowledge of battle tactics. Meanwhile, Crow went off to look for a place to set up away from the main road, where he guessed most of the fighting would take place.

He walked along a side street until he came across a stable that was located a fair distance away yet had a good view of the street. After looking around to make sure there were no knights around to see him, he slipped inside and began searching for a place to position himself where he would be able to use his bow. Trying to ignore the strong odor of goats, he walked down the corridor between the animals’ pens, his eyes sweeping over the small space. Eventually, he glanced up at the ceiling and a smile crossed his lips as he noticed an opening near the roof above the rafters that faced the main road. Perfect.

The thief made his way over to a stack of crates and climbed up until he was able to pull himself up into the attic-like space. The wood creaked dangerously beneath his feet, and he winced, praying it would hold his weight. He took a hesitant step forward and let out his breath in a relieved sigh as the wooden beam groaned but didn’t give way. With catlike balance, he maneuvered his way across the beam until he reached the small window. When he reached it, he peered out and was pleased to see that he had a direct view of the main road.

Crow lifted his bow from his shoulders and steadied himself on the rafter, his heart racing with adrenaline as he watched and waited for the battle to begin.

[BuzzingBee]

Though the Younisian forces didn't seem to expect them, they were quick to assemble themselves in preparation for the attack. Penelope even found it a bit impressive how well organized the enemy forces seemed to be. However, she just hoped that organization alone wouldn't give them too much of an upperhand in this fight. The Brerratic forces may have caught them off guard but she knew her comrades had yet to fully recover from the previous battle.

Focusing back ahead, she watched as Mia drew her sword and raised it up high. With a battle cry, the baroness lead the charge into Grimsby, almost immediately cutting down one of the Younisian knights as she rode forward. The rest of the battalion followed suit, rushing into the village and clashing against the enemy forces. Penelope was careful to remain near Gavin as she fought with a Younisian knight. She found herself a bit distracted, as her focus wasn't so much on the fight as it was on various people. Trying to keep an eye on Gavin, watching over nearby villagers, and keeping an eye out for Crow all made the fight a little bit more difficult than usual.

The knight flinched as she misstepped and caused an opening in her defense that the enemy seemed to notice right away. The Younisian knight lunged to attack but was intercepted by another blade. Gavin used the blunt side of his blade to block the attack and then pushed the enemy knight back before swiping at his side, barely giving him a chance to recover. Penelope gripped her blade and moved to attack the man from the other side. Outnumbered, the two quickly overpowered him.

Penelope let out a long breath and glanced over her shoulder as a second battlecry rang out. It was Edward leading his forces into the village to attack. "I hope that means we can drive them out quicker." Gavin mumbled. He turned to look away and then motioned for Penelope to follow him as his gaze fell on a few of the villagers fighting against two Younisian knights. She nodded and took off after him to defend the peasants.

As they moved, she couldn't help but look over the chaos around them in search of Crow. She had her doubts that the thief had chosen to completely stay out of the battle so she worried about his safety. Amongst the chaos, the only thief she managed to spot was Alistair, who made quick work of a Younisian knight that came close to attack a young villager struggling to fight. She was glad that the knights of Brerra still seemed to be obeying the rule that the barons decided to enforce. Most of her comrades didn't seem to fight so recklessly anymore.

Focusing back on the fight ahead, she charged forward to clash blade with the enemy knight. Gavin maneuvered to place himself between the knights and villagers as he fought alongside her.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow didn’t have to wait long before the first sounds of battle reached him in the stable. He stood rigidly and notched an arrow in his bow, his eyes fixed on the road as he saw the Younisian knights charging forward to meet the Brerratic knights in combat. Even in the beginning of the battle they were already behaving recklessly, knocking over whatever was in their paths and shoving aside villagers who had appeared to protect their homes. The sight made the thief clench his jaw in frustration. He wished he could run out and face them head on, but he knew he couldn’t leave the safety of the stable.

Taking a calming breath, he raised his weapon and took aim at a Younisian knight that was headed straight for a small group of peasants with his sword cocked back to swing. Just before the man could bring down his blade, he collapsed to the ground with an arrow protruding from his eye. Crow reached over his shoulder and drew another one from his quiver, loading it into his bow as he searched for his next target.

The beginning of the battle went smoothly for the thief. He observed everything from a distance and shot down any knights whom he saw try to harm the villagers. He was just starting to think that this fight would go just as well as the last, when he reached back to retrieve another arrow and blinked in surprise as his fingers brushed air. In his focus on what was happening in front of him, he hadn’t realized how quickly he had been using them up this time. He cursed under his breath and glanced out the window again as he debated what to do. It was dangerous to walk directly into the battle to collect the arrows he had lost, but he couldn’t just stand around and watch as the villagers got slaughtered. He had to do something.

Having made up his mind, Crow shouldered his bow and took a step back on the beam to turn around and walk back to the crates he had used to climb up. The wood creaked beneath his weight, but he ignored it, since it had proven to hold him up the last time. Moving carefully, he managed to get halfway across when suddenly, the rafter emitted a low groan and shifted beneath his feet. He froze, eyes wide as he realized he was trapped. In the next moment, the wood splintered apart, and he let out a startled cry as it collapsed, taking him down with it.

He hit the ground hard and laid still for a moment as he tried to collect himself. The goats, spooked by the loud noise, had begun bleating frightfully. The thief sat up and held his head dazedly, grimacing as he felt warm blood pour from a gash above his right eye. As he came back to himself, he bristled as he realized how much noise the animals were making. “Shut up,” he hissed at them, glancing worriedly at the door. Of course, his warning did nothing to lessen the goats’ frightful bleating.

Knowing it was only a matter of time before someone came to investigate why the animals were making such a racket, he hurried to get up. However, as he tried to move his right leg he gasped and brought a hand to his mouth, biting down to suppress a whimper of pain. When it passed, he looked down to see what was wrong and paled as his eyes fell on a large splinter of wood from the collapsed beam that had driven itself clean through his thigh. The sight made him feel nauseated and he averted his gaze, fighting the urge to lose his breakfast.

He turned back toward the door as he heard the sound of voices outside. The knights had found him. Trembling from a mixture of pain and fear, he swallowed and forced himself to look at the splinted rod in his leg. It was too agonizing to leave it in. He had to get it out before the knights found him. Taking a shaky breath, he gripped one end of the wood firmly in both of his hands and pulled, biting down on his tongue until he tasted blood to keep from screaming. Just as he finished tearing the rod out, the door to the stable swung open and two Younisian knights stepped inside.

With no time to take care of his now freely bleeding wound, Crow forced himself to stand up and drew the daggers at his waist, his eyes flicking between the two men as he glared at them with as much venom as he could muster.

The knights seemed surprised to find what looked like a regular peasant, but one of them narrowed his eyes as his gaze fell on the thief’s bow. “Check it out,” he nudged his comrade. “Looks like this is where those arrows have been coming from.”

“You’re the one who killed Brinley?” the other knight curled his lip and raised his sword. “He was my brother, you bastard!”

Crow took a nervous step back as the knights began to approach him, wincing as the motion sent another seizing wave of pain up his leg. Badly injured and outnumbered, he knew he had no chance at defeating both of them. He had to find a way to get out before they cornered him in the stable. His green eyes roved quickly over the room as he looked for an exit point, but the only one he could reach was the door on the other side of his opponents. He had to get past them if he wanted to make it out.

He snapped back to attention and lifted his dagger to block as one of the knights drove his sword down at his side. The second was quick to follow with a strike at the thief’s head, which he dodged by ducking down. Heart pounding, Crow gritted his teeth as the motion caused another issue to arise that caught him off guard. He staggered as a wave of dizziness turned the world sideways and made him see double. Shaking his head, he raised his weapons again to defend himself and narrowed his eyes to try and stay focused. If he could just slip around them somehow, he could make a run for the door and look for somewhere to hide…

Suddenly, he inhaled sharply as the knights came at him again. He managed to just barely avoid their attacks, but not without a cost. He stumbled again as the combination of the wound in his leg and the dizziness in his head nearly dropped him to his knees. Panting heavily, he lifted his weapons once more and shot the knights a stubborn glower.

The two Younisians exchanged an amused look. “Is this guy drunk?” one snorted, pointing his sword at the thief’s chest.

“I think so,” the other chuckled. “I’ve never seen such a sloppy performance, even from a peasant.”

“Oh yeah?” Crow spat on the ground. “If I’m so sloppy, then why can’t either of you touch me?” In the back of his mind, he knew he was being foolish by taunting them when he had no chance of winning, but he was too lightheaded to think rationally.

“I think it’s time we stop going easy on this punk,” the first knight snarled. He sheathed his sword and stepped towards the thief. Crow cringed and tried to step back, but he wasn’t quick enough. The knight caught his arm and twisted it behind his back, pinning him while his comrade approached with his blade pointed at his throat. Crow struggled against his grip, but between the blood loss and the fatigue of his illness, he didn’t have the strength to get away. He turned towards the armed knight and leaned back, wide eyed as he realized this man was really going to kill him.

“You’re going to pay for killing my brother,” the knight threatened. He drew back his sword and the thief closed his eyes, preparing himself for the inevitable sting of the blade.

However, the strike never came.

Instead, he heard a thump and opened his eyes to see Rikki standing over the motionless body of the knight. In the next moment, the female thief let out a cry as she charged at the knight who was holding Crow. She drove her sword into the man’s side, sending him toppling down beside his dead comrade.

As soon as he felt the grip slacken on his arms, Crow’s eyes rolled back, and he dropped to the ground as well. Rikki hurried to kneel down at his side. “Are you alright?” she asked in a voice that was breathy with panic. She gasped as her eyes fell on the gaping wound in his thigh. “You’re hurt.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” he mumbled bitterly, his eyelids fluttering as he felt himself slipping out of consciousness again.

“Crow?” Rikki pressed a hand to his shoulder and shook him gently. “Come on, stay with me. You have to stay awake.”

“I’m trying,” he groaned. “It’s not as easy as it looks.”

“I’m going to get help,” she said, standing up again. “Just stay here, and stay awake.”

He nodded faintly, “I’ll do my best.” He watched dazedly as she ran out of the stable, closing the door behind her. Now alone, he found it much more difficult to follow her instructions. The fatigue of his illness seemed to intensify with the blood loss from his injury, leaving him too exhausted to do anything but breathe through the pain and try not to pass out. He hoped she would come back quickly, because he didn’t know how much longer he could fight off the urge to let go of consciousness. With every passing second, the temptation to close his eyes grew stronger.

With a burst of effort, he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this terrible, and he suddenly found that he wished he had taken everyone’s advice and stayed away from the battle. It had been foolish of him to think he would be alright when he was in such poor health.

Feeling something warm on his lip, he brought a hand to his mouth and then raised it up to his eyes. He frowned as he saw that he had come away with a viscous red liquid on his fingers. Blood? He felt a fresh wave of panic as he looked up at it, and his eyelids fluttered again. But that means… He didn’t finish the thought as his illness finally overpowered him and he blacked out.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope continued to fight alongside Gavin. As the battle continued on, they pushed forward with the rest of the knights, though often got stalled in their extra efforts to protect villagers. The female knight continued to keep an eye out for Crow but never managed to spot him amongst the crowd. Getting too distracted with her concern for the thief, she eventually received an injury to her side. Luckily the cut was minor though and didn't stop the knight from seeing the battle through to the end.

The Younisian forces were finally beginning to fall back to the border and away from the village. Mia and Edward rode to the front of the battalion, commanding the rest of the battalion to a halt just beyond Grimsby. The barons made it clear that they weren't looking to push further into Younis today but rather just wanted to reclaim their own kingdom's territory. Smart move. Penelope thought tiredly as she came to a stop amongst her comrades as the fighting began to die down. Sweeping her gaze over the other knights, it was clear to see that the two days of fighting was wearing them down. Most were panting and some even trembled with exhaustion as they held their weapons, ready incase the Younisians decided to regroup and attack again.

Looking ahead, Penelope watched as Mia and Edward focused their gazes on the Younisian baron, clearly waiting to see if he would dare to launch his troops back into battle. She held her breath as the moment seemed to drag on and was only broke as the Younisian baron spat something to his lieutenant then turned to lead his troops away from Brerra. A sense of relief and victory flooded over the Brerratic battalion.

They weren't without loss though. As Penelope looked around, she was quick to notice most knights remained silent with tired looks. One of them being Gavin, who looked ahead with a dull gaze. The male knight let out a long sigh then turned to Penelope, forcing a small smile. "Well, looks like we won." He mused softly. "I'm just glad we can get back to camp now."

Penelope gave a small nod of agreement. "I just hope it means that it'll be awhile before we have to fight again."

The barons exchanged pleased looks with each other before moving on to round up the knights. "Everyone! We'll head back to the wagons tonight and rest." Edward announced loudly. "Tomorrow we'll make our trip back to camp and then we can properly celebrate our victory!"

There was a cheer of agreement from a small section of knights as they fell in step behind their baron. Penelope hesitated to follow, casting one last glance over her shoulder at the village. She hadn't seen Crow in either battle and she hoped that meant he had chosen to stay out of them. The female knight nearly felt tempted to sneak off to look for the thieves, just to double check. However, she knew that it wouldn't be wise. Instead she turned and followed the rest of her battalion as they walked deeper into the surrounding forest where the wagons were located.

She'd have to wait until their next meeting to find out if he was well. The thought made her frown, the wait already beginning to bug her. She already knew that the next few days would go by slower than she was hoping for in her eagerness to see him again. Penelope let out a long exhale and lowered her gaze as she fell in step besides Gavin.

[Rogue Sloth]

“…Still alive.”

“Oh, thank gods. I thought he was a goner.”

Crow groaned and shifted groggily on the dirt floor of the stable. Opening his eyes, he looked up to see Hazel crouching over him and a concerned look on her face. The herbalist was accompanied by Rikki, who fidgeted anxiously at her side. Forgetting what had happened for a moment, he moved to sit up, but Hazel quickly pressed a hand to his chest. “Whoa there,” she said sternly, forcing him to lay back down. “You lost a lot of blood, so you shouldn’t try to move for a while.”

“What happened?” he murmured dazedly, wincing as he felt a pressure on his right leg. Glancing down, he watched as the herbalist began inspecting a gory looking wound in his thigh. At the sight of it, he recalled falling from the rafters and getting run through by part of the broken beam. He groaned again as she got to work treating the injury.

“I know it hurts, but try not to move,” she instructed as cleaned out the wound. “You’re lucky Raven here found you when she did, or you would have died.”

“You were attacked by Younisians,” Rikki explained, answering his initial question. She averted her gaze and shuffled her feet uncomfortably, “I stopped them from killing you.”

He turned to her as the memories slowly came back to him. “That’s right,” he said thoughtfully. Suddenly another thought came to him and he frowned. “How did you know I was here?”

Rikki shrugged without meeting his gaze, “I heard a commotion and just followed a hunch.”

“Well, I’m glad your hunch was correct,” he smiled weakly, still exhausted from everything that had happened. “Thank you for saving me.”

“It was nothing,” she muttered, blushing softly.

“I’m going to start suturing it now,” Hazel warned him. “Don’t move.”

Crow nodded and closed his eyes, focusing on breathing steadily as she closed up his wound. The needle stung, but he managed not to flinch too much, so it was over quickly. Once she was done stitching him, the herbalist finished the procedure by bandaging his leg. “There,” she said in satisfaction with her own work, moving to stand up again. “You’re good to go.”

“Thanks,” he looked up at her gratefully. “By the way, what happened with the rest of the battle?”

“Brerra won,” Rikki said. “They drove the Younisians back to their side of the border.”

“And what about the villagers?”

“They’re mostly alright. They took a few losses, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the last time. Simon and Alistair are out helping them recover as we speak.”

“Good,” he sighed.

“You know,” Hazel spoke up suddenly, crossing her arms. “You should go and help them out, Raven. I can finish taking care of him by myself.” She offered the other woman a friendly smile. “Thanks for your help, but I’ve got it from here.”

“Okay,” Rikki glanced briefly at Crow before heading out of the stables.

Hazel waited until she was gone before turning to him again, “So, are you going to admit you should have listened to me yet?”

“Fine,” he rolled his eyes. “I was wrong, and you were right. Happy?”

“Quite,” she smirked, sitting down at his side and crossing her legs. “Although… I am glad you made it out alive.” She looked away. “It would have been a waste for you to die when we’ve come this far.”

“I’m glad too,” he agreed, ignoring her obstinate tone. “For a second there, I thought those knights were going to kill me.”

“Looks like you learned your lesson,” Hazel dragged her bag over to her side and began repacking it with the medical supplies she had used. “Anyway, you should try to get some more rest before we go back to the camp. I don’t want you collapsing on me in the middle of the woods on our way there.”

“Alright,” he yawned tiredly and closed his eyes, more than happy to take her advice.

--

Crow slept for a while longer before he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Hazel standing over him with her bag slung across her back. “It’s almost sundown,” she said softly. “We need to get back to the camp.”

He nodded sleepily and moved to sit up. He was still a little lightheaded, but otherwise felt like he was able to move alright. Pushing off of his arms, he stood up slowly. However, as soon as he was standing upright, he felt a burst of fatigue and stumbled, pressing a hand against the nearest goat pen to steady himself.

“Are you alright?” Hazel frowned, moving to his side.

“I think so,” he blinked, trying to shake off his surprise at what had just happened. “I probably just stood up too fast.” In an attempt to convince himself that it was nothing, he took a careful step away from the pen to balance on his own. In the next moment, the fatigue hit him again and he leaned back into it, breathing heavily from the small effort.

“That doesn’t look good,” Hazel knitted her brow. She stepped closer and lifted two fingers to his neck, pressing down just below his jaw as she had done the last time. After a moment, she lowered her hand and shook her head, “This isn’t from blood loss, Crow.”

“What do you mean?” he felt his blood run cold.

“It’s your heart again. I can barely feel the pulse,” she met his gaze sadly. “This is the illness.”

“But that doesn’t make sense,” he protested. “I slept through the entire evening. It’s always gone away when I’ve gotten this much rest.”

“I think you overdid it,” Hazel crossed her arms. “Fighting today and taking a wound that serious must have pushed you over the edge.”

Crow paled as her words reminded him of another detail he had forgotten.

“What?” Hazel frowned, noticing the change in his expression. “Is there something you haven’t told me?”

He shifted his weight. “Yeah,” he said softly. “Just before I blacked out, I noticed that there was blood on my lip.”

The herbalist’s eyes widened, “Are you telling me…”

“Exactly,” he nodded, meeting her gaze again with a grimace. “I think my illness has progressed to the third phase.”

[BuzzingBee]

"Hold still."

Penelope gritted her teeth as Jane cleaned the small gash on her side with alcohol. The sting of the liquid made the small injury feel much worse and as it finally dulled down, she relaxed a little and let out a long breath. The physician proceeded to wrap a bandage over it and then stepped back, eying her work for a moment before giving a nod of approval. "Alright you should be fine now. You know, you just keep getting lucky. A little deeper and that would might have been a serious problem." Jane mused.

"If that's the case I don't want to know what it's like to be unlucky." Penelope muttered a bit dryly.

"No you don't." Jane agreed as she gathered her supplies. "Just don't exert yourself and you should heal up just fine in a couple days."

"Thank you." Penelope nodded and watched as the physician walked away. She turned her head to look over as Olivia walked up to her. The other female knight was walking with a slight limp, having received a hit to her right leg with a mace that left her with a nasty bruise. However, she otherwise appeared to be in good health, which Penelope was thankful for. Olivia moved and stiffly sat down besides her, letting out a long groan as she shifted to attempt to get comfortable.

"Oh I can't wait to get back to camp." Olivia sighed. "It's only been two days but I miss my bedroll so much right now."

"One more day." Penelope assured her friend as she leaned back on the palms of her hands. "And hopefully we won't be leaving camp for a while after that."

"I'll say. We might have won but gods I'm exhausted." Olivia said with an exaggerated yawn. "I don't think I'll leave camp for a week."

"Right." Penelope chuckled.

Olivia fell silent for a moment and swept her gaze over the battalion of knights before turning her attention back over to Penelope. "So how's your ex-suitor doing? He wasn't looking too good yesterday."

"He's alright." Penelope mumbled shifting her gaze to glance over at Gavin, who was speaking quietly with another knight. She frowned a little and looked back over at her friend. "He lost a close friend and he hasn't really had a chance to deal with that yet. I'm sure he'll be back to usual soon, he just needs some time."

"Well, he's tougher than I thought." Olivia commented with a shrug. "I'm surprised he didn't fold during this battle.. But then again, he did have you coddling him.. Speaking of which," she smirked and raised an eyebrow at Penelope questioningly. "I've noticed you two have been hanging out a lot more again. Something going on there, Penelope?"

Penelope rolled her eyes at Olivia's suggestive question. "You know I wouldn't do that.. We're just becoming friends again. I'm-" the knight paused and lowered her voice to avoid anyone overhearing."still with Crow."

"Figures. You don't know how to have fun." Olivia pouted. "It's nice to have a little variety in your life sometimes... Even you know that." She winked.

"I only acted like that for short time a year ago." Penelope grumbled defensively. She shook her head and eyed Olivia with a hint of curiosity. "You don't have any plans to ever settle down do you?"

"Nope~!" Olivia giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "Not unless I'm forced into a marriage like you were. Or maybe when if I get old and my looks start to fade."

Penelope shook her head a little at Olivia's words. Though she smiled in amusement, Olivia's words sounded a bit lonely to the knight. She understood them though, having gone through times in her life when she had no plans for marriage or starting a family both before meeting Crow and then shortly after losing him. Olivia was different though. She was never overly focused on her career like Penelope had one been and as far Penelope knew, she had never been in a long term relationship before either. It was strange to think Olivia was satisfied with how her life was but perhaps that was what fitted her best.

"Well that could always change you know. Met the right guy and all your plans now will just unfold." Penelope mumbled, thinking of Crow.

"You and your lovestruck ass." Olivia laughed and shook her head. "Nah, I like my plans too much. Besides if I actually fell for someone that'd mean I wouldn't be able to make fun of you anymore so where's the fun in that?"

"Whatever." Penelope snorted and gave her a small push. She paused before lowering her gaze to the ground as she went on in a quiet voice, "By the way... Did you happen to see him today? During the battle I mean."

"Hm?" Olivia raised an eyebrow and then shook her head. "No. I think I saw a couple of the others amongst the villagers though. Why? Worried?"

"A little." Penelope admitted vaguely. She was a little relieved to hear that Olivia hadn't seen him during the battle either. Perhaps Crow had decided to stay out of it after all. She looked over at Olivia and gave a small smile. "It's not important. Anyways, I think I'm going to try and get some sleep. I'm tired."

"Yeah me too." Olivia agreed as she stood up. "Night, Penelope."

"Night Olivia." The two gave a small wave goodbye before Olivia moved to rest closer to a small camp fire while Penelope remained where she was. It was barely sunset but she was tired from the long two days and knowing they had a whole trip back to camp the next day made her decide it was best to retire to bed early. Feeling a little better about Crow, she laid down on the forest floor and closed her eyes as she attempted to get some sleep.

[Rogue Sloth]

“Are you certain?” Hazel’s voice was laced with worry. “I mean, you could have gotten a cut in your mouth or something. Are you sure it was from the illness?”

“I’m pretty confident,” he nodded dismally. “It didn’t look like normal blood. It was thicker and darker, like it came from somewhere deep.”

“But how is that even possible?” she raked her fingers through her hair. “I don’t understand. It hasn’t even been a month since you told me the second phase started. Even if you overexerted yourself, it shouldn’t have progressed that quickly.”

“Yet, here we are,” he shrugged, trying to remain calm in the face of his healer’s nervousness.

“This is the worst timing too,” she went on, shaking her head. “We’re two days’ walk from our camp by the river. How are you going to make it back if you can’t even stand up straight?”

“We’ll figure something out,” he said stubbornly.

“What if we’re spotted by knights? How will you be able to—”

“Darling, please,” Crow interrupted with an exasperated sigh. “Calm down. We just need to focus on getting back to our camp to the east right now. We can worry about the trip home later.”

“You’re right,” Hazel exhaled, coming back to herself. She moved to stand at his side and draped his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s just get you back to the others.”

“Thanks,” he said, leaning away from the goat pen to rest his weight against her instead. Checking his balance, he took an unsteady step towards the door. She moved with him and together, they managed to make it out to the main road of the village.

--

The journey back to the camp on the ridge was strenuous for both of them; Crow, because of his injured leg and fatigue, and Hazel, because she had to carry half of his weight when he was practically twice her size. However, despite the difficulties, they managed to make it back just before the sun disappeared over the western horizon.

When they reached the campsite, Hazel walked him over to the sleeping area and helped him down, so he wouldn’t collapse and potentially hurt his already wounded leg. The thief sat on his bed and leaned back on his palms, closing his eyes as he focused on slowing his breathing after the effort of trekking all the way back from Grimsby.

“What happened to you?” Alistair frowned at him after watching the whole scene from where he sat with the other thieves by the fire.

“He hurt his leg during the battle,” Rikki explained with a shrug.

“That’s not all,” Hazel pitched in. Turning to Crow, she crossed her arms. “Go on, tell them what you did, dumbass.”

Crow shot her a glare and then averted his gaze off to the side, his face heating up with embarrassment as he admitted reluctantly: “I got caught up in a fight that made my illness worse.”

“I managed to drag him back here, but there’s no way in hell I’m carrying him all the way to our hideout by the river,” Hazel shook her head and turned to eye Alistair and Simon. “You two look strong enough. As the resident healer for all of you criminals, I’m electing both of you to make sure this idiot gets back in one piece. Think you can do that, boys?”

“Not a problem,” Alistair gave a lazy salute.

“Of course,” Simon nodded.

“Good,” Hazel stretched her arms over her head. “Now that that’s settled, I’m going to get some sleep.” With that, she stepped over to her own mat and laid down with her back to the group, signaling that she was done talking for the night.

Crow watched her for a moment and then rolled his eyes. She just loved making him look like a fool. It didn’t slip past him that she had worded everything in a way to make it look like it had all been his fault. It wasn’t like he had gone charging into battle or even chosen to face those two Younisians. He had been careful to stay hidden until that damned rafter had snapped under his weight. He winced as he shifted his injured leg. He had done everything right this time, yet fate had still found a way to make a mockery of him. And tomorrow he was going to have to face the embarrassment of being half carried all the way back to their camp. He sighed. It just kept getting better and better.

Laying down on his own bed, he drew his blanket up to his chin and closed his eyes, ready for a good, long rest after everything that had happened that day. As he drifted off, he hoped that his illness would fade in the morning, so he wouldn’t need Simon or Alistair’s help to walk back.

[BuzzingBee]

The next day came quick and the knights wasted little time in departing from their temporary camp. Everyone was eager to return back to camp after having fought two battles, even the barons didn't waste much time in preparing to leave. The trip back was uneventful and mainly consisted of idle chat amongst the knights in order to pass time as they returned to their camp. Penelope spent some time at the front with Tomas, Mia, and Edward as the three discussed the success of the battles.

The conversation wasn't very interesting to the female knight as Edward gave himself high praise for the success while Mia and Tomas spoke about areas that could be improved in the organization of the battalion. She eventually left the older higher ups to speak with each other and fell back besides Olivia. The two chatted casually, enjoying the calmness of the day, and were eventually joined by Gavin.

The male knight didn't join in much on their conversation, instead having his gaze trained on the path ahead, but he at least seemed content in their company. The three traveled on with the rest of the knights, finding a bit of a peaceful moment despite growing weary as the day wore on. It took the battalion nearly the whole day to reach their camp. By the time it came into sight, it was nearly dusk. As the battalion flooded into their camp, some knights headed straight to their tents while others headed straight to the alcohol supply, intent on celebrating the two victories.

The camp grew lively at the return of the battalion as a good portion of knights drank themselves into oblivion. Penelope stood off to the side of a small camp fire as she watched Olivia partake in a drinking competition with one of their comrades. She shook her head a little and glanced around the camp. Her gaze fell on Gavin as she noticed the male knight walking rigidly towards a particular tent. Bran's tent. She frowned a little and walked over to her friend. "Hey, Gavin." She called to him. He paused and looked over at her as she hurried to catch up with him. She stopped in front of him and fell into an awkward silence for a brief moment.

"Already going to speak with Bran?" she finally asked.

"Yeah... He needs to know what happened." Gavin mumbled looking over at the tent. A dim light was glowing from inside, likely from a lit oil lamp, alerting them that he was likely inside.

"Do you want me to go with you?" she asked. "Bran can be... a bit much sometimes.. And I can't even imagine how he'll take the news."

"Thanks but I can handle it on my own." Gavin told her reassuringly. He turned to leave but paused, looking over his shoulder at Penelope. He gave her a small smile. "I appreciate all your help though... really, Penelope. Thank you."

Penelope returned his smile and nodded her head. "No problem, Gavin." She told him. As he headed off to tell Alan's father about what had happened, she turned and headed off to her tent. The female knight had had enough action for a while and wanted nothing more than to enjoy a bit of peace in the coming days as she waited to meet up with Crow again. Stepping inside, she laid back on her mat and stared up at the ceiling of her tent, clearing her mind for a moment. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep, her weariness getting the best of her.

[Rogue Sloth]

The next day, Crow awoke feeling just as tired as he had the night before, which wasn’t a great sign that he would fare any better on the trip back to their camp. He managed to sit up by himself on his bedroll, but trying to stand sounded like too much effort, so he didn’t bother. Looking around the temporary camp, he saw that his companions had already finished packing up all of their supplies. His eyes fell on the washed pot and dishes, and he let out his breath in disappointment when he realized he had missed breakfast yet again. At this rate, he doubted he would ever eat in the morning again unless Hazel managed to do something about his illness.

When she noticed he was up, the herbalist made her way over to him and knelt down at his side, rocking back on her heels as she met his gaze. “How do you feel today?” she asked in a clinical voice.

“No better, but also no worse,” he shrugged.

“Can you stand?”

“I can try,” he said. After waiting a moment for Hazel to give him space, he shoved his blanket off and took a stabilizing breath as he tensed his legs to get up. The effort was straining, and his injured leg burned in protest, but he still managed to rise somewhat unsteadily to his feet. Feeling pleased with himself, he turned to her with a smirk, “Not too bad, huh?” However, no sooner had the words left his mouth than another wave of dizziness reared its unwelcome head, and he staggered to lean against a tree to keep upright. He cursed in frustration, and shook his head, trying to clear the feeling away.

“I’d say that’s pretty bad,” Hazel rolled her eyes. She turned toward the others to start barking orders, “Someone else packed up Crow’s things. Alistair or Simon, one of you will have to help him walk. We need to get going as soon as we can in order to cover as much ground as possible before sunset.”

“Who died and made you the leader around here?” Crow muttered bitterly.

“If you don’t start taking better care of yourself, then you,” she said flippantly, turning to walk over and help the others.

He shot a glare at her back but said nothing. As much as he disliked her attitude, he couldn’t say she was wrong. As was evident from the condition he was in now, he hadn’t been doing the best job of keeping himself out of trouble. So, instead, he merely let out an annoyed huff and folded his arms over his chest, leaning back against the tree trunk as he waited for the others to finish packing up his supplies.

Once they were all ready to go, Alistair stepped over to Crow’s side to help him stand. “Come on, big guy,” he grinned, wrapping one arm around the thief’s waist to help brace him. “Let’s get going.”

Still feeling a bit embarrassed about needing help to do such a simple task as walking, Crow nodded wordlessly as he rested one arm over Alistair’s shoulder. He took a step away from the tree, and as soon as the two were balanced, the group began to make their way south towards their home.

--

Since Crow wasn’t able to keep up with their usual pace, it took the five companions two full days to make it back to their camp. Simon and Alistair switched off on helping him walk, and even Hazel offered her support once or twice when the two men grew too tired to carry him. So, when they finally made it to the tunnels behind the waterfall at dusk on the second day, they were all completely exhausted.

Alistair, who had been the last to brace Crow, collapsed almost immediately on his bed and fell asleep, while the others sat around the fire to chat amongst each other. For a while, everything was peaceful. Crow talked idly with Simon, while Hazel answered questions about healing that Rikki asked.

As they spoke, Crow noticed the blonde thief’s gaze wander frequently to Hazel, and his attentiveness to their conversation began to wane. After a bit, he couldn’t take it anymore. He rolled his eyes, “If you want to talk to her so badly, then just do it already.”

“W-what?” Simon turned to him and blinked.

“Come on, man,” Crow nudged him. “You haven’t been listening to a word I’ve said. Just go talk to her. Ask her to take a walk with you or go stargazing or something. I don’t care, but gods, don’t keep sitting around and pretending you’re not interested in her. It’s painful to watch.”

Simon averted his gaze, “She’s not going to want to go anywhere with me. Why would she?”

“For the love of—” Crow groaned, staring up at the cavern ceiling. “Just do it already. If she wants to go, she’ll go. If not, she’ll just say no. You’ve got nothing to lose.”

Simon hesitated for a moment and then nodded. “You’re right,” he said a bit more confidently, standing up.

“Go get her,” Crow grinned, watching as his companion walked over to where Hazel and Rikki were talking.

The blonde thief cleared his throat awkwardly, “H-Hazel, I was wondering if, perhaps, you would… er, if you would want to…”

I take it back. This is even more painful than when he did nothing, Crow thought, cringing as he watched Simon flounder for words. “He was wondering if you would go with him on a walk,” he called out, rescuing his friend from his own awkwardness.

“What?” Hazel blinked, looking up at Simon in surprise.

Rikki turned to the herbalist with a smirk, “You should go. It sounds like fun.”

Hazel glanced at her for a moment before meeting Simon’s gaze again, “You want me to come with you on a walk?”

Simon shuffled his feet and nodded bashfully, “I-If you wouldn’t mind.”

She was silent for a moment as she seemed to process what he was asking her, and then colored slightly as she nodded. “Alright,” she smiled, rising to her feet and smoothing down her dress. “I’d love to go on a walk with you, Simon.”

“Really?” his eyes widen.

“Of course,” Hazel laughed softly, taking the initiative to link her arm with his. “Lead the way.”

Simon seemed to relax at her gesture and nodded. “Okay,” he grinned, walking with her towards the cave entrance.

With the other two gone, Crow and Rikki exchanged an uncomfortable glance as they realized they were now alone. Aside from when she had found him in the stable during the battle, they hadn’t been alone in almost a week. The tension between them was so thick, it could have been cut with a knife. He averted his gaze, “I should go to bed… Long day.”

“Mhm,” she nodded in agreement, moving to put out the fire.

With a burst of energy driven by his urge to get out of the uncomfortable situation, Crow forced himself to stand up. He leaned one hand against the wall of the cave to steady himself and made his way along the edge of the space until he reached the sleeping area. Fortunately, his bed was already close to the wall, so he only had to take a few steps without support to reach it.

He laid down in a somewhat controlled descent and exhaled tiredly as soon as he rested his head. His weariness from the two-day trip hit him all at once, and he passed out, sleeping soundly as he recovered from the long walk.

[BuzzingBee]

The following days went by without much trouble. As Penelope suspected, things calmed down within the camp and the days seemed to drag on a bit. Younis remained quiet after their defeat, likely licking their wounds even more so than the Brerratics were. Recovering from two battles, the knights were quick to relax now after claiming two solid victories over the Younisian forces. There was less stress about planning now between the barons as well, leaving Penelope with quite a bit of free time.

She spent most of it with friends or simply relaxing. She would have used it to train but the knight didn't want to risk making her small injury worse. Especially before the meeting with Crow. As the day grew closer for them to meet, time seemed to grow slower. The knight was impatient, wanting to seem him and confirm her belief that he had stayed out of the battles as well as simply be in his company again. She grew a bit restless and even begun to spend time with her brother on patrols that he still occasionally lead out. He didn't seem particularly thrilled by her company but the two battles left him with very few volunteers so he didn't deny her like usual.

As the day finally came to meet with Crow, Penelope was buzzing with energy and excitement. With her wound a bit more healed now, she even did a bit of sparring to pass the time. As it grew later in the day, she decided to take a break and headed off to sit down under the shade of a nearby tree. While she relaxed, Gavin eventually joined her. The male knight was doing better now after a few days had passed since Alan's death. He still seemed to be silently mourning and missing his friend but he didn't let it consume him as much anymore.

"I hope you're not pushing yourself to hard." Gavin told her as he sat down besides her.

Penelope wiped a bit of sweat from her brow and shook her head. "I'm not. Just blowing off some steam." She said with a shrug.

Gavin nodded his head and eyed her for a moment, catching the gleam in her gaze as she kept glancing up at the sky. The male knight frowned and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the tree. "You're meeting him tonight aren't you?" he asked softly.

Penelope blinked in surprise and looked over at him with wide eyes. "I'm not blind, Penelope.. You always get a little more energetic when it's time for you to meet him.. I noticed it last week when we were sparring too. You met him that day as well right?" Gavin sighed.

"Well... Yeah.." Penelope muttered, reluctantly. The female knight shifted uncomfortably at the topic. She avoided speaking to Gavin about Crow since she didn't want to ruin their rekindled friendship. However, the male knight seemed intent on bringing it up this time.

"It's ok." Gavin shrugged, noticing her awkwardness. He gave her a small smile. "I'm not going anywhere... In fact, I'd feel a bit better if you just told me you when you were going to see him. Just in case.. something goes wrong."

Penelope frowned disapprovingly at his words. "I thought you said you trusted me with this. I told you, he's not dangerous."

"I know, I know. I'm not talking about him specifically I just mean, I could help make sure you don't get discovered by any guards you know.. Or at least cover for you if anyone discovers that you're gone." Gavin explained quickly.

Penelope paused before shaking her head. "I appreciate the thought but I think I can handle it on my own, Gavin. Plus I don't want to drag you down with me if I do get caught." Before he could argue with her any further, she stretched out her limbs and stood up. "Anyways, I think I'm going to go grab something to eat. I'll see you later, Gavin."

Gavin frowned and opened his mouth to argue but she was already turning to leave. "See ya." He sighed.

---

Night fell and it was finally time for her to meet up with Crow again. Penelope put on her regular disguise and slipped out of the camp to head off to Myrefall. She frowned as she noticed Gavin positioned as one of the guards. Despite her words, it seemed that the male knight was intent on watching her back. While she normally wouldn't mind the extra help, she didn't want to get him involved. Especially because she was beginning to worry that he hadn't completely given up hope on being with her.

However, now wasn't the time to deal with it. Eager to see Crow, she headed off to the village stepping carefully through the forest. She had a rather uneventful trip, though she did end up having to hide away from a patrol of local guards that were roaming around the village's edge at one point. Luckily they didn't spot her and she managed to slip past them without much trouble.

She stepped out onto the street and headed for the small home. As it came into view, she noticed it was dark inside. I must be here first again. She thought, remaining hopeful about him staying out of the fight. Picking up her pace slightly, the knight reached the worn down home and stepped inside. She smiled to herself and grabbed the lamp, placing it at the center of the room, and lighting it. Still feeling relatively calm about the situation, she sat down to patiently wait for the thief.

[Rogue Sloth]

Over the next few days, the thieves returned to their normal routines. Alistair and Rikki took it upon themselves to lead a small raid on the knights’ supplies to pick up the few things they were still missing, along with some extra bandages since they had used up many of theirs after the last battle in Grimsby; Simon continued to go on solo patrols once a day to keep watch for knights; and Hazel worked diligently on a new recipe of an herbal remedy for Crow, who spent most of his days sleeping or otherwise resting in the camp, since he was no longer able to leave without help.

As the days dragged on, the thief began to grow more and more restless. He felt trapped by his own body and often stared longingly at the entrance of the cavern during his waking hours, wishing he could go out and do something—anything—besides lay in bed. He finally understood how his mother must have felt when she had been on her deathbed, and he had been the one to take care of both of them. It was ridiculously frustrating to be unable to move on his own.

Fortunately, with the amount of sleep he was getting, his illness didn’t seem to get any worse. He only had one concerning episode that occurred on their second day back in the camp, when he’d had a coughing fit that ended in him spitting up more of the viscous blood that he’d seen during the battle. Hazel, who had been present at the time, seemed alarmed after seeing it for herself and spent even longer hours poring over her medicinal books as she tried to figure out what could be causing it to happen.

During this time, she was often accompanied by Simon, who had begun courting her after their late-night walk. The thief helped her find herbs in the forest and went over her books to see if he could catch anything she may have missed. Between the two of them, Crow hoped they would find a cure quickly. Being confined to a bed against his will, he had a bad case of wanderlust and was also starting to worry a bit more about whether they would find a way to heal him at all.

Another concern he had was for his fast approaching meeting with Penelope. Though he couldn’t walk on his own, he still clung to the hope that he would find some way to get to Myrefall to see her. After going another whole week apart, he missed her and desperately craved to be with her again. So, when night fell on the third day, he grew much more restless than before as he hurried to come up with some way to make the trip.

Hazel, who had been working on his next poultice, noticed his change in mood. “What’s got you so worked up?” she asked, glancing over at him as she crushed plant leaves in a bowl.

Crow averted his gaze, “I’m supposed to meet with Penelope tonight. I need to get to Myrefall, so I can—”

“No way,” Hazel cut him off. “Are you insane? You can’t even stand up without support, dumbass. There’s no way in hell you’re going all the way to a village.”

“I have to,” he argued hotly. “She’s probably already there. I can’t just ditch her.”

“You don’t have much of a choice,” she snorted. “Just keep resting. She knows you’re sick. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

“I can’t do that,” he shook his head in frustration. “She worries about me. If I don’t go, she’ll just think something happened. I have to tell her I’m alright.”

“But you’re not alright,” Hazel set down the bowl and turned to him with a glare. “In case you hadn’t noticed, you’re officially bedridden, idiot. Face the facts and let it go already. You can see her again when I figure out this godsforsaken cure.”

Crow lowered his gaze, staring down at the ground in silence. His heart sank as he realized that, as much as he wanted to see Penelope, there was no way for him to make it to her now that his illness had progressed so far. After a moment, he looked up at the herbalist again, “Okay, fine. I can’t go, but someone has to. I can’t just leave her waiting.”

“No. Uh uh,” Hazel shook her head vigorously. “I see where you’re going with this, snake, and there’s no way in hell I’m going to meet with a noble for you.”

“Please,” he pleaded. “You’re the only one I can ask. Raven is still mad at me, and Simon and Alistair can’t find out about us. It has to be you.”

“That’s just too bad, because I’m not going to do it.”

“Please,” he said again, taking on a desperate tone. “I’m begging you, love. You don’t have to stay long. Just tell her what happened and that I’m okay. I need her to know I’m not dead.”

Hazel looked over to meet his gaze, opening her mouth to argue, but then wavered as she caught the despondent look in his eye. She pursed her lips and then sighed, “The things I do for you… Fine. If it will wipe that pathetic expression off your face, I’ll do it.”

“Thank you,” he said in relief that she agreed. “We’ve been meeting in an abandoned house on the western side of Myrefall. It’s on the second street from the edge of the village, eight houses down from the southern side…”

--

I can’t believe I agreed to this, Hazel thought bitterly as she trekked through the forest towards Myrefall. Clutching at her cloak, she pulled the fabric a bit more securely around her shoulders to warm herself against the cool night air. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to turn around and forget the whole thing. After all, she could just hide out for a while and tell Crow she had met with his noble lover. He would never know the difference.

Unfortunately for her, she had at least something of a moral compass, so she couldn’t lie to a man who was possibly on his deathbed in good conscience. Besides, it wasn’t like he’d asked her to have a full-on conversation with this woman. All she had to do was go in, tell the knight he was alive, and get out. Simple, right? She hoped so.

When Hazel reached the village, she replayed Crow’s directions in her head, following the streets he had described to her until she came to a dilapidated old house in the middle of a small dirt road. There was a light in the window, so someone was obviously inside. She just hoped it was the noblewoman she was looking for. The herbalist cringed to herself as she imagined walking in on some strange family in the middle of the night.

Sending up a quick prayer that she’d found the right place, Hazel opened the door and stepped inside.

[BuzzingBee]

As time dragged on, Penelope's hope began to fade. He was late, much later than before. A chill ran through the knight and she soon grew a bit restless. She eventually stood up, beginning to pace in the small room as she continued to wait just a little longer for him. Her waiting paid off as she finally heard the door creak open. With her back to the door, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank gods, you're final-" Her words fell short as she turned to face what she thought was Crow only to be thrown off as someone else stood there in his place. She was quick to recognize Hazel, the her red hair being quite rememberable. What was she doing here though? The knight paled and felt her heart sink at the realization. If Hazel was here, that meant Crow was either getting worse or dead. Neither of which were good and left her merely hoping he was at least still alive. She clenched her hands into fists at her sides, feeling them begin to tremble slightly.

"..Oh gods, what happened?" she finally managed out, her throat tightening with emotion. As far as Penelope knew, Hazel still didn't know about them being together and the knight wanted to keep it that way, especially since Rikki had already found out about them. However, it was difficult. Feeling a bit overwhelmed with emotion, she wasn't able to keep her voice as even as she would have liked.

[Rogue Sloth]

As soon as she laid eyes on Penelope, Hazel was reminded of everything she disliked about nobles. She fought the urge to wrinkle her nose in disgust. What was it Crow saw in this woman anyway? Sure, she had a pretty face, but beyond that, what was the draw? There were plenty of respectable peasant women who were just as beautiful as this knight, if not more so, in her opinion. She simply couldn’t bring herself to understand what he saw in someone like her.

As Penelope’s face fell at the sight of her, Hazel quirked a brow in mild surprise. She had never seen a knight express such an emotion over someone of lesser status. Even though Crow had told her time and again that this woman wasn’t like other nobles, this was the first glimpse she’d had of it, herself. She crossed her arms loosely over her chest. It was unexpected to see, yes, but it certainly wasn’t enough to change the herbalist’s opinion of her just yet.

“Slight mishap during the battle in Grimsby,” she answered Penelope’s question vaguely and with disinterest. Pursing her lips, she eyed the knight for a moment before letting out a quiet exhale. She really didn’t want to stick around any longer than she had to, but she couldn’t help feeling like this woman was owed a bit more of an explanation. The sappy look on her face was unbearable.

“Look here,” she went on gruffly. “I don’t know the whole story, so don’t expect me to have every detail for you. From what I saw, it looked like Crow was camped out in a stable during the fight. There was a broken rafter—I think he used it to reach a window near the roof, but it collapsed. He’d brought a bow, so it makes sense that he would have tried something like that.” She shrugged carelessly.

“Anyway, a couple of knights found him somehow when he was down and attacked. He probably would have died if Raven hadn’t found him and saved his sorry ass,” she snorted. “After that, she came to get me, because he was bleeding out from a nasty wound in his leg—I still don’t know how that happened, because he never told me. I patched him up, good as new.” She met Penelope’s gaze apathetically. “So that’s the whole story as I know it. You’re welcome.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope frowned a little at the way Hazel answered her at first. The herbalist was as cold as before, not that she had been expecting anything different, but she was hoping for a little more than the vague answer that she received. She was nearly about to push for more details but luckily didn't have to as she went on to describe what happened. It surprised her a bit to learn that Crow had been using a bow in the last battle. The detail made her recall her previous lessons with him and made her wonder just how much he had improved if had chosen to use the long range weapon to stay out of the direct fight.

It seemed that he had tried to keep his promise, but as she had worried, it wasn't quite enough. Although, Hazel's story made it sound like his illness didn't have much of a play in his reason for not being there. His injury must have been rather bad to have not healed enough by now. She shuddered at the thought before shaking her head. "Damn it.. I told him he should have stayed out of it.." She muttered to herself.

Looking back over at Hazel, she gave her an appreciative nod. "Thank you for telling me.." She told the herbalist, feeling like she needed to acknowledge the other woman for both traveling to Myrefall to meet her as well as giving her the story of what happened. Even if Hazel wasn't the warmest of company, Penelope was at least glad to know that Crow was still alive. "You can tell them that they can relax for a little while. The knights aren't too concerned with chasing after them right now, especially after winning two battles." she went on to tell Hazel, deciding she needed to address the formal part of their meetings. "The next battle won't be for a while either.. My guess is around three or so weeks."

With her report to Hazel done, she was about to simply part ways with the herbalist whom she was certain didn't want to be around her for very long. However, the knight paused as another thought came to mind. She averted her gaze to the ground as she added quietly, "Also... Aside from the leg injury.. How is he? His illness I mean.."

[Rogue Sloth]

Hazel relaxed slightly as the knight thanked her for telling her what had happened. She nodded curtly and averted her gaze. She didn’t like how courteous Penelope was being. It made it harder to hate her. She honestly would have preferred her to be unpleasant, just so she wouldn’t have to feel so conflicted.

She shifted and glanced back at the door. Having fulfilled her end of the bargain by telling this woman that Crow was still alive, she wanted to hurry up and go back to the camp. Her mind wandered to Simon’s warm company, and she wondered offhandedly if the thief was still awake. If he was, she intended to go straight to him when she returned, eager to put this disagreeable meeting behind her and spend time with someone whose company she genuinely enjoyed.

However, before she had a chance to leave, Penelope spoke up again, rambling on about what was happening in the knights’ camp. For a moment, Hazel stared blankly at her, confused as to why the noble was going on about such things. Was she trying to be friendly, or perhaps exchange information for what she had told her to begin with? This must be the content of those regular meetings she had with Crow, she realized suddenly. The knight wasn’t just talking for the sake of hearing her own voice. She was giving her the news she would have normally given the leader of the thieves.

“Err, thanks, I guess,” she mumbled, unsure what else to say in response. “I’ll let them know.”

For a moment, a brief silence fell over them, and Hazel hoped that meant their meeting had come to an end. She took a hesitant step backwards, preparing to turn and leave, but then faltered as she saw Penelope lower her gaze. There was a genuine concern in her eyes that caught the cold-hearted herbalist off guard.

She watched the knight observantly for a moment before answering her question. “Actually, his illness is the reason why he isn’t here,” she explained, softening slightly despite herself. “His injury was bad, but it will heal. As for whatever is going on inside of him…” She averted her gaze, uncomfortably aware of the fact that Crow’s waning health was a reflection of her failure to treat him. “I’m not sure how much he has told you, but there are essentially three phases to this disease. The first,” she held up her index finger as she began counting off. “A simple cough that occurs off and on. The second, episodes of fatigue that appear to be triggered by strenuous exercise. And the third,” she paused, pursing her lips together before going on. “The third phase is when the afflicted can no longer move on his own and has begun to cough up blood.”

She tapped her foot on the dusty floor, “It appears the attack of the Younisians was the last straw that pushed Crow over the edge into this final phase. He’s currently bedridden in our camp, which is why he sent me in his place to tell you what happened.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope lifted her gaze back up as Hazel told her that his illness was the real reason for his absence. The knight grew tense with worry as she listened to the herbalist further explain the sickness to her and it's three phases. Her heart sunk as Hazel listed off the last one and announced that Crow had reached it. Her stomach churned with panic to learn that the thief was getting worse rather than better and at a rather quick rate.

For a moment, the knight said nothing, merely processing the information the herbalist gave her. As hard of hit as it was, Penelope's worry soon turned into her trying to think of what to do to help and Jane quickly popped back into her mind. Crow had said that Hazel had dismissed the idea of working with the noble physician right away and if he hadn't been able to change her mind, Penelope had her doubts that she could either, especially considering she was a noble as well. However, that wasn't going to stop her from trying.

A familiar blaze of determination gleamed in the knight's gaze and along with it a hint of desperation as she looked over at the herbalist. "Wait, before you go, I.. I want you to reconsider working with the physician I know." she declared taking a small step towards the herbalist. "Crow told me that he spoke you about but you refused.. Look I know you hate nobles. You've probably seen us at our worst so you have your reasonings, and I get it. I've heard stories.. Hell I've seen how some of my comrades act in battle." she gave a small snort and shook her head disapprovingly.

"But I think you're making a mistake in choosing to let your pride get in the way of helping people." Penelope stated firmly as she met Hazel's gaze. "I won't lie, the physician I know won't be working towards the cure for the same reasons you are. She doesn't have the same values you have but she's skilled and a hard worker who can help you.. Look Crow trusts you and I'm sure you're a talented healer but surely it would help to have someone else working with you to find the cure. So please, reconsider."

[Rogue Sloth]

Yet another uncomfortable moment of silence dragged on between the two women, and Hazel inched towards the door, hoping to leave. Penelope was confusing to her. She didn’t act like the nobles the herbalist had known before. There was a kindness about her that was reminiscent of the way peasants treated one another, which wasn’t a characteristic she wanted to associate with a knight. She preferred her world to be clear cut, black and white, good and bad. Nobles were supposed to be selfish, vain, and cruel, not sweet and empathetic. The fact that this noble was breaking down those preconceptions was not a positive thing to her.

As the silence continued, she grew impatient. Whatever was going on in Penelope’s head, she wanted no part of it. After all, her job here was done. There was no longer any reason for her to linger when she had already fulfilled Crow’s ridiculous wish. What am I still waiting around for anyway? Having made up her mind, she tipped her head in a curt and wordless goodbye to the knight and turned around to head to the door, eager to let her and this unpleasant meeting fade out of her mind.

Just as she began to reach for the door handle, the knight spoke up again, but this time her words made the herbalist stiffen. Ah, there’s that classic noble arrogance, she thought, her lip curling upward in a pleased smirk. She thinks her fancy, educated healer is better than me. Hah! Whirling around, she prepared to shut down the conversation, but then faltered as she met the other woman’s gaze. The mixture of determination and desperation in her eyes was not what she had been expecting. It brought to mind the image of a despondent lover, clinging to anything that might save her dying suitor or husband. It was an expression the herbalist was quite familiar with in all her years of medicinal practice, and it was an expression she never thought she would see on a noble’s face over a thief.

I don’t understand, Hazel thought as Penelope went on to try to convince her to change her mind about the physician. Why is she trying so hard? She remained silent, listening to the knight go on about how she actually thought she understood the herbalist’s hatred for her kind and about why she believed the herbalist was making the wrong decision by denying the physician’s help. It was quite the haughty little speech, in her opinion—how could a knight possibly know full extent of what peasants went through?—but something about it did give her pause.

Four days ago, she wouldn’t have given such a proposal even a second thought, but with Crow’s health declining so rapidly, she was getting desperate to figure out why her medicines weren’t working. Despite her careless and often cold words to him, she didn’t really want to see him die. She would never admit it out loud, but he wasn’t all bad as a person. Since joining him and the other thieves in their camp, she had seen a side of him that she hadn’t known existed, a determinedly compassionate side that swayed her vengeful opinion of him and even reminded her why she had once wanted him to court her all those years ago. There was a fire in him for the people of the outer villages, a fire that she found that she truly admired because it drove him to do anything he could to protect people who couldn’t protect themselves.

She didn’t want to see that fire go out.

She eyed Penelope contemplatively as she thought about her offer. Even if her remedies hadn’t been enough so far, would it really make that big of a difference if a second healer joined the search? Sure, there were benefits to having two people working on the same problem, but it didn’t guarantee that they would figure it out. It didn’t even guarantee that anything would change at all. She wasn’t sure if she was willing to work with a noble when there was no way to know whether the noble’s assistance would make a difference. Besides, she was perfectly capable on her own. She had found cures for diseases before, and she could do it again.

Suddenly, the image of Crow’s coughing episode the day before appeared in her mind, and she wavered in her resolve. While she had confidence in her own abilities, there was no denying that he was running out of time. If he died now, could she really say she had done everything in her power as an herbalist to save him? Perhaps there was a reason to accept this physician’s help after all, if only to be able to say she had tried everything. That way, she would have some peace of mind if he still succumbed to his illness.

“Fine,” she said after a long pause, crossing her arms again as she held Penelope’s gaze coldly. “You win. I’ll meet with this physician of yours on a temporary basis, provided she doesn’t get in my way.” She fell quiet again for a moment, her hard expression fading as she looked away from the knight. “Why do you care so much about him, anyway?” she murmured, shaking her head as she finally gave in and asked the question that had been gnawing at her all night. “I just can’t wrap my head around it. What could a noble like you possibly have to gain from being with a thief? He can’t give you anything you don’t already have. Honestly, no matter which way I look at it, the only thing he can do for you is take it all away. Why would you want that?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope remained tense as she awaited a reply from the herbalist. The fact that she didn't deny her right away gave the knight some hope that she was truly considering her words. After a moment, Hazel finally agreed and Penelope let out a quiet sigh of relief. Though Hazel clearly still wasn't thrilled about working with a noble physician, just her agreeing was enough to make the knight feel a little more at ease.

She was about to thank the herbalist and go on to try to organize a meeting but instead Hazel caught her off guard as she questioned her about her care for Crow. Penelope blinked, surprised to learn that Hazel knew about them. Did Raven tell them? she wondered. The knight didn't linger on the thought for very long and instead focused back on Hazel.

"Well... Materialistically, you're right. He can't give me anything and being with him is going to mean giving up the life I currently have." she admitted with a small shrug. "But I want to be with him. I might have to give up a lot but I gain a future with him." The knight felt her cheeks heat up, becoming a bit bashful at her words. She scratched the back of her neck and sighed.

"It's difficult to explain but I'm not looking to gain anything aside from simply being with him. It's not logical. It never has been." she smiled a little as she thought of the thief and shook her head. Meeting Hazel's gaze again, the knight cleared her throat a bit awkwardly.

"Anyways, I have to speak with the physician but can you meet me again in two days?" She asked hopefully. "Also I think we should meet at the tavern that's near here instead of this place. Does that sound alright?"

[Rogue Sloth]

Hazel found Penelope’s explanation to be nothing short of dumbfounding. She couldn’t tell if this knight had something wrong with her head or if she was simply a fool. To give up everything for someone like that was a concept she simply couldn’t fathom. What did that snake do to her? She thought with a subtle shake of her head. She knew Crow could be manipulative, but to have a knight wrapped around his finger? Perhaps she needed to start watching him more carefully.

Yet, despite her pessimistic beliefs, there was a small part of her that felt conflicted by the expression on Penelope’s face when she spoke of him. There was a softness in her gaze that looked too sincere to be the result of trickery. She shifted her weight, wondering if there was more going on here than what she was bent to think. Was it really possible that a knight and a thief had fallen in love? It sounded ridiculous to her, but she couldn’t bring herself to brush it off as impossible. After speaking with both Crow and Penelope and seeing the care they had for each other, it was starting to look like their affection was real after all.

Hazel met the noble’s gaze again when she went on to ask about their next meeting. The herbalist groaned inwardly as she realized that, by agreeing to meet with this physician, she was going to have to interact with noble scum more often. This was going to be unpleasant. “Sure, whatever,” she exhaled moodily. By this point, she seriously wanted to be done with this knight. She had talked with her for much longer than she had initially planned. Crow owed her big time for this.

“If that’s all you have to say, then I’m leaving,” she said abruptly, turning around to walk to the door without giving Penelope time to respond. She pulled on the handle and took a step forward, but then hesitated, glancing back over her shoulder. “I’ll see you in two days, rat,” she said a bit more softly. However, her moment of friendliness was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared. She let out a temperamental huff and stepped out of the house, closing the door firmly behind her.

--

Back in the thieves’ hideout, Crow watched the entrance of the cavern impatiently as he waited for Hazel’s return. He stifled a yawn, fighting the temptation to go to sleep and find out how her conversation with Penelope had gone in the morning. As tired as he was, he wanted to find out how the knight was doing and if she was worrying about him even more now that she had learned of what had happened to him in the last battle. He hoped she wasn’t, but he knew her well enough to guess that she was probably more concerned than ever.

Shifting uncomfortably on his bed—his injured leg was beginning to ache again—he felt a pang of frustration and wished he could have gone to speak with her, himself. Hazel wasn’t the most compassionate woman around people she didn’t like, so he knew she wasn’t the best person to tell Penelope why he couldn’t meet with her. It was unfortunate that she was the only one he could have sent to do the job.

After what felt like an eternity to the drowsy thief, he finally saw a shadow pass over the opening at the front of the cavern, signaling the herbalist’s return. He sat up eagerly, grimacing as a bought of dizziness chided him for the sudden movement, and watched as Hazel stepped into view. She shrugged her cloak off of her shoulders and dropped it with their other clothing supplies before making her way over to the sleeping area.

“How did it go?” he asked, unable to wait any longer.

Hazel jumped at the sound of his voice and whirled around with wide eyes as she searched the darkness for the source of the sound. He smirked in amusement as she finally met his gaze. It seemed like she had either been very deep in thought or hadn’t expected him to have waited up for her. Perhaps it was both. However, he didn’t linger on it for long. “Well?” he pressed, impatient for her response.

“I said everything you wanted me to say,” she answered vaguely and then narrowed her eyes at him. “Besides, shouldn’t you be sleeping right now? Go to bed, Crow.”

“What did she say?” he went on urgently, ignoring her instructions. “How did she look? Did she have any injuries from the battle?”

“Slow down,” Hazel rolled her eyes. “She looked fine to me. As for what we talked about, I’ll tell you about it in the morning. Right now, I’m going to bed, and I highly suggest you do the same.” Without waiting around to give him a chance to argue with her, she walked quietly over to her bed and laid down, curling up nearby Simon, who was fast asleep on the mat next to hers.

Crow frowned, wishing she would have given him at least a few more details about their meeting, but after a moment, he laid down again in quiet defeat. For now, he would just have to content himself with the knowledge that Penelope was alright after the battle and that she knew he wasn’t dead. Letting out his breath in a long exhale, he closed his eyes and let his weariness take over as he drifted off to sleep.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a small nod as Hazel agreed to meet her again in two days. Though the other woman was clearly not looking forward to it, the knight was glad that she finally agreed to meet with the physician, especially when she considered Crow's deteriorating health. She didn't stop her from leaving this time and instead turned to collect her claok from the chair, preparing to leave as well. She threw the fabric over her shoulders and then turned her head to look over at Hazel as she noticed he herbalist hesitate at the door.

What she said next caught the knight a bit off guard. Though the words weren't particularly kind, her soft tone and parting words were more friendly than Penelope had been expecting. The knight blinked and stared after the herbalist for a moment as she turned and left, her momentary friendliness fading too. Penelope smiled a little at the herbalist, a bit glad that Hazel seemed a little less hostile towards her now. She hoped that meant that the herbalist would be a little easier to get along in their future meeting.

Penelope let the herbalist leave first before heading out after her. She turned off the lamp and pulled the hood of her cloak over her head before stepping out of the building and onto the street as she began to make her way back to camp.

---

On the way back to camp, Penelope found herself a bit lost in thought, thinking over everything that Hazel had told her during the meeting. While she was happy that the herbalist agreed to work with Jane, there was still a chance that they wouldn't be able to find the cure in time or at all, for that matter. The knight frowned at the thought. She wanted to keep hopeful and positive that they would find the cure in time but after hearing about his poor health, it was getting more difficult.

Penelope let out a shaky breath, wishing she could meet with him. She wanted to be at his side during this uncertain time, knowing she find a bit more comfort and certainty in his company. However, it'd be too risky to try and sneak out all the way to the thieve's hideout so she had to be content with merely hearing the news from Hazel for now.

The knight had a relatively easy time sneaking back into her camp and slipping into her tent without notice. She laid down for the night and eventually managed to fall into a light slumber as her concern for Crow wore her down.