Just thought I'd share this! I found this song that really fits Audrielle cx
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Hello! This is Buzzingbee! I used to be on here as BuzzBee but I had some trouble. I had issues in real life that made me go off for a while and then when I was going to come back on, passwords, emails, etc were forgotten and lost. xD But I'm back and ready to jump into where I left off!
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Gotcha! I decided not to go into the morning for that post anyways cx
With the expected resistance from Layth over with for the time being, Penelope trotted off to locate her friends before it got too late in the evening. The barons’ reactions to her proposal hadn’t gone over well and she wanted to use the majority of the night to plan out how she would convince them at the next meeting. With even Mia on the fence about her idea, the lieutenant knew it likely wouldn’t be easy but she was determined to try for the sake of both ending the war peacefully as well as the outer villages. If her battalion was able to only be on defense then there would be fewer battles and if they kept the Younisians from advancing, it would give the nearby villages a small break from all the warfare. The female knight let out a small sigh at the thought of the villagers that were suffering at the hands of a war that was completely out of their control.
“Uh oh, looks like someone’s down. Edward and Layth responded that badly, huh?” came a low whistle of sympathy.
Coming out of her thoughts, Penelope lifted her gaze to see Olivia stand by Gavin with her eyebrow raised in question as she studied her friend’s face. Gavin also eyed her with similar concern, likely assuming the worst based on the initial reactions he had seen during their meeting. It made the lieutenant flash a reassuring smirk.
“Not at all! In fact, Edward congratulated me on my courtship.” Penelope informed them with amusement lighting her visage. “Turns out his need to secure power for the family outweighs his need to send Crow to the gallows.”
“Well that’s quite a turn around.” Olivia snickered. “Who would have thought Edward of all people would make things easy.”
Gavin gave a curt nod of agreement before his gaze wandered back over to Penelope. “And what about Layth? Is he following your uncle’s lead on this?”
The lieutenant’s amusement faded. “I wish my brother would make things so simple but unfortunately, he’s still out for blood. He was less than thrilled and I suspect he’ll continue to be that way regardless of what anyone else says or does.” she admitted with a small shrug.
“At least he can’t do anything about it. Now come on, let’s go grab some supper. I’m starving!” Olivia smiled before quickly turning on her feet to lead the small group off towards the dining area. With the other two both ready for a meal as well, Penelope fell in behind her friend as she strode besides Gavin. A brief silence fell over the group as they focused on getting their meals. Once they retrieved their plates, they made their way over to one of the small fire pits. The weather was still chilly and having spent most of her recent late evenings in either the castle or inns, Penelope found herself a little less prepared for handling the cold out on the warfront. As she settled down in front of the fire with the others a long sigh of satisfaction escaped her. The dancing flames were strong despite not being particularly large and easily heated the surrounding area. It was an excellent opposite to the crisp evening breeze.
“So… I’m rising in rank.” Gavin announced unceremoniously as he poked at his food. “Bennet’s been looking for a lieutenant for sometime now and decided on me after seeing how I performed during your time away, Penelope.”
Penelope blinked in surprise at the news and smiled at her friend. “Gavin that’s great! I suppose I’ll be seeing you in the tent from now on then, right?”
“I believe so.” The male knight nodded.
“Well, well lose a courtship, gain a rank, congratulations.” Olivia grinned.
Gavin shot her an annoyed look and gave a soft snort. “Yes, I wouldn’t want to be a low ranking guard for the rest of my career.”
“It’s a lifestyle few can understand.” Olivia shrugged.
Penelope took a bite from her food and eyed Olivia with a hint of curiosity. “You’re not going to try and move up?”
“Why would I? Climbing the career tree would just mean taking on more responsibility.” Olivia smirked. “Besides, I have plans to reap the benefits of being higher up without the work.”
Gavin rolled his eyes and eyed Olivia with a look of doubt. “Oh really? And exactly what is your plan?”
“Become good friends with all the high ranking nobles of course!” the female knight snickered and threw an arm around Penelope’s shoulders. “I’ve already got a princess, viceroy and the soon to be wife of the viceroy on my side. I suppose I could squeeze in room for another lieutenant though.”
Penelope gave a small laugh as she watched the exchange between the two and shook her head at Olivia’s antics. The trio continued to enjoy their meal together, talking idly as the evening went on. Eventually, Penelope finished up her meal and parted from her friends to retire to her tent. Stepping through the flap, she stretched her arms and took off her armor as she prepared to settle in for the night. Her first day back on the warfront hadn’t been completely terrible but the rocky part of the day still wore on the knight’s mind. Namely the poor reaction to her suggestion to only act defensively.
The lieutenant let out a troubled sigh as she flopped down onto her mat. The barons had plans for another battle coming up rather soon which left her with very little time to prepare. I have to convince them tomorrow…she thought with a small frown. Feeling the still cold of the winter night beginning to nip at her, she turned over to bundle herself up in her blanket. As she warmed up, Penelope continued to dwell on the thought of what she needed to say in order to convince the barons but was slowly lulled to sleep by the coziness that came from fending off the cold. Before long, she had fallen into a rather deep sleep, one laced with wild dreams caused by her stressed mind.
“Uh oh, looks like someone’s down. Edward and Layth responded that badly, huh?” came a low whistle of sympathy.
Coming out of her thoughts, Penelope lifted her gaze to see Olivia stand by Gavin with her eyebrow raised in question as she studied her friend’s face. Gavin also eyed her with similar concern, likely assuming the worst based on the initial reactions he had seen during their meeting. It made the lieutenant flash a reassuring smirk.
“Not at all! In fact, Edward congratulated me on my courtship.” Penelope informed them with amusement lighting her visage. “Turns out his need to secure power for the family outweighs his need to send Crow to the gallows.”
“Well that’s quite a turn around.” Olivia snickered. “Who would have thought Edward of all people would make things easy.”
Gavin gave a curt nod of agreement before his gaze wandered back over to Penelope. “And what about Layth? Is he following your uncle’s lead on this?”
The lieutenant’s amusement faded. “I wish my brother would make things so simple but unfortunately, he’s still out for blood. He was less than thrilled and I suspect he’ll continue to be that way regardless of what anyone else says or does.” she admitted with a small shrug.
“At least he can’t do anything about it. Now come on, let’s go grab some supper. I’m starving!” Olivia smiled before quickly turning on her feet to lead the small group off towards the dining area. With the other two both ready for a meal as well, Penelope fell in behind her friend as she strode besides Gavin. A brief silence fell over the group as they focused on getting their meals. Once they retrieved their plates, they made their way over to one of the small fire pits. The weather was still chilly and having spent most of her recent late evenings in either the castle or inns, Penelope found herself a little less prepared for handling the cold out on the warfront. As she settled down in front of the fire with the others a long sigh of satisfaction escaped her. The dancing flames were strong despite not being particularly large and easily heated the surrounding area. It was an excellent opposite to the crisp evening breeze.
“So… I’m rising in rank.” Gavin announced unceremoniously as he poked at his food. “Bennet’s been looking for a lieutenant for sometime now and decided on me after seeing how I performed during your time away, Penelope.”
Penelope blinked in surprise at the news and smiled at her friend. “Gavin that’s great! I suppose I’ll be seeing you in the tent from now on then, right?”
“I believe so.” The male knight nodded.
“Well, well lose a courtship, gain a rank, congratulations.” Olivia grinned.
Gavin shot her an annoyed look and gave a soft snort. “Yes, I wouldn’t want to be a low ranking guard for the rest of my career.”
“It’s a lifestyle few can understand.” Olivia shrugged.
Penelope took a bite from her food and eyed Olivia with a hint of curiosity. “You’re not going to try and move up?”
“Why would I? Climbing the career tree would just mean taking on more responsibility.” Olivia smirked. “Besides, I have plans to reap the benefits of being higher up without the work.”
Gavin rolled his eyes and eyed Olivia with a look of doubt. “Oh really? And exactly what is your plan?”
“Become good friends with all the high ranking nobles of course!” the female knight snickered and threw an arm around Penelope’s shoulders. “I’ve already got a princess, viceroy and the soon to be wife of the viceroy on my side. I suppose I could squeeze in room for another lieutenant though.”
Penelope gave a small laugh as she watched the exchange between the two and shook her head at Olivia’s antics. The trio continued to enjoy their meal together, talking idly as the evening went on. Eventually, Penelope finished up her meal and parted from her friends to retire to her tent. Stepping through the flap, she stretched her arms and took off her armor as she prepared to settle in for the night. Her first day back on the warfront hadn’t been completely terrible but the rocky part of the day still wore on the knight’s mind. Namely the poor reaction to her suggestion to only act defensively.
The lieutenant let out a troubled sigh as she flopped down onto her mat. The barons had plans for another battle coming up rather soon which left her with very little time to prepare. I have to convince them tomorrow…she thought with a small frown. Feeling the still cold of the winter night beginning to nip at her, she turned over to bundle herself up in her blanket. As she warmed up, Penelope continued to dwell on the thought of what she needed to say in order to convince the barons but was slowly lulled to sleep by the coziness that came from fending off the cold. Before long, she had fallen into a rather deep sleep, one laced with wild dreams caused by her stressed mind.
A I D A D R A K O S
Hotel, Azure
With Simon
The old blood’s gaze tracked Louis, Audrielle and Rene until the trio eventually disappeared from her line of sight. Aida remained tense despite now being alone. Rene was clearly planning something. Exactly what though was impossible for her to figure out at the moment but she was certain it wasn’t something she’d approve of. Audrielle was still at such a weak state, no memories and no powers that a normal source blood should have. Having been by Audrielle’s side for centuries and the one to raise her when she was reborn, it was needless to say how deeply Aida cared for the source blood. If there was anything that would risk Audrielle’s safety, Aida promised herself that she’d find a way to protect the sourceblood from it.
With Louis on Rene and Audrielle’s trail, Aida set off to do some work of her own. Though it was a masquerade, she found that she was still able to recognize a decent amount of the vampires around her, based both on their voices and figures. Unfortunately, she wasn’t particularly fond of most them. They were the types that hung were known for willingly hanging around Belmont, which was to be expected since he was the host. Still, Aida held onto hope that there was at least a few people of worth amongst the guest there that night. Traveling further into the crowd alone, she eventually found what she considered to be a decent group of vampires that were conversing. The group consisted of a few lesser blackbloods. Most were old enough or near old enough to be considered old bloods themselves. Despite not holding a high power, Aida found them respectable enough.
Hoping one of them might be fit enough for the task of intervening with Belmont’s plans or to hear any potential gossip about his plans, Aida smoothly joined the group of vampires. Elegant and known for her closeness to the council, her presence appeared to be well received as she was easily welcomed amongst the group and quickly joined in the conversation. The conversation was rather lacking though and before Aida could truly see if it would lead anywhere, a newcomer stepped into the mix and addressed her. Aida blinked and turned her head to look over at the vampire, quickly recognizing him to be Simon. She also noticed that he was accompanied by another vampiress, one she knew to be the head of the Cain house. Aida paid her little attention though as Simon addressed the matter of her not chaperoning Audrielle. The words made her tense slightly, unsure how Simon might react to the fact that neither her nor Louis had been able to stop Rene from escorting Audrielle. The old blood opened her mouth to reply when Simon excused himself from Sophia to motion for Aida to step away with him. Following his lead, she excused herself from the group and moved away from them to join Simon separately.
“Belmont’s escorting Audrielle right now.. I believe they went towards the dance floor. Audrielle insisted that we not accompany her.” Aida explained with a heavy exhale. “Right now, Louis is tailing them to keep an eye on Rene and intervene if need be. I was hoping I might find someone here that could qualify as Audrielle’s guardian to hopefully pull her away from whatever he has planned.” Aida knew they likely weren’t in the best situation, since Audrielle seemed to be happily following Belmont’s lead making it difficult for anyone else to steer her away. The old blood just hoped that Simon had come there with a plan that would get them back on the offensive rather than continuing to play defense to everything Belmont threw at them.
As he emphasized needing to put an end to the nonsense, Aida gave a stern nod of agreement before her visage took on a expression of interest as Simon speculated knowing what the other sourceblood was planning. “What do you think he’s planning?” she asked with a raised eyebrow under the mask that she wore. Standing a little straight and looking away from Simon’s face to glance in the direction of the dance floor, her gaze narrowed slightly as she pondered what angle Rene might be playing at. Regardless of what it was, it couldn’t be good. “And what should I do to help stop it?”
A u d r i e l l e M i s t m o u r n
Hotel, Azure
With Rene
Audrielle’s gaze continued to sweep over her surroundings with excitement as she let Rene guide her. The party was lively and the thought of gaining even a spec of freedom thrilling. There may have been reasons to not trust the sourceblood that was currently escorting her but they currently weren’t a point of focus for her. As Rene lead them closer to the dance floor, Audrielle felt a bit confused. She had thought that Belmont intended to take her to meet some of the candidates first rather than go straight for a dance. However, as he turned to ask her for a dance, she decided not to over think it.
“Of course, though I must warn you I haven’t completely mastered the movements yet.” she told him with an amused smirk before stepping with him out onto the dance floor. Aida had gone over the steps with her in the past. It had been a test of muscle memory that had turned into genuine lessons since Audrielle had taken an interest in learning. Once she got the basics of the movements down, Aida had insisted on them moving on to more productive things since clearly it hadn’t stirred any memories. She’d just have to take a bit more precaution with her movements. After all, the last thing the young source blood wanted to irritate Belmont because she accidentally stepped on his foot one too many times.
Louis trailed along the edge of the dance floor, clenching his jaw in frustration as Rene and Audrielle stepped out to dance. He folded his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes as he watched the pair. For a moment, the old blood debated finding a dance partner of his own for the sake of getting closer but decided against it. Feeling certain that if he took his eyes off Belmont for a second that he would find some way to weasel away with Audrielle, Louis decided to remain at the edge of the dance floor, tracking Rene and Audrielle’s every step so that the two always remained in his line of sight.
Daniel's really digging himself a nice hole xD
Daniel was glad to see his change of subject didn’t go challenged as Alex moved on to think over her response to his question. His time as a musician was something he preferred not to speak to openly about. Especially when meeting a woman whom he wanted to win over. The failure he had experienced back then was surely unlikely to impress anyone. As she thought over her response, his gaze wandered across the bar towards were the rest of his friends were. Of course, he couldn’t see them through the bar much less the crowd but he couldn’t help but wondered what they made of his disappearance as well as Eric’s who hadn’t even stopped to say hello before hurrying off to flirt with someone random woman at the bar. Oh well, I’m sure they’re just fine without us. he assured himself before finally tuning back into what Alex was saying, catching her listing off a couple of nearby restaurant.
Though he didn’t eat out much himself, he was familiar with both Kaikagetsu and 212 Steakhouse. They were rather popular joints around the area and their food always lived up to their reputation. “Sounds like you have good taste.” he said with a small laugh. “212 Steakhouse has the best ribeye that I’ve had so far.” It had been ages since he had last gone out to the steakhouse—he believed the last time he was there had been a year or so ago to celebrate the success of one of his friends—that bringing it up now gave him a craving for it. The alcohol in his system likely also played a large part in fueling his desire since he hadn’t had much to eat before coming to the bar in the first place. Daniel drummed his finger tips briefly against the bar counter as his gaze glanced from their empty drinks over to the bartender, thinking over his current options.
“All that talk has me wondering if you’d like to grab a bite to eat with me?” Daniel asked, focusing his gaze back onto Alex and flashing her another charming smile. He sincerely hoped that she’d agree to go with him. Hunger aside, leaving the bar for food would feel like a step in the right direction to winning her interest enough to spend the night with her. She seemed interested in him already but Daniel had his doubts that they extended that far yet. As for the engagement party he left behind… well, he had already abandoned it so it was the furthest concern from his mind. “I was thinking 212 Steakhouse since you’ve got me craving a good steak now. Plus I figure it’d be rude to ignore your excellent suggestions and go somewhere else.”
Daniel paused, realizing she may not be eager to leave the bar just yet. The night was still fairly young after all and they hadn’t been talking for that long. Not wanting to seem like he was pushing to get her alone too fast, he decided to make her another offer to balance it out. “Or if you’d prefer, I could order us another round of drinks?” he asked with a gesture towards her empty glass.
Though he didn’t eat out much himself, he was familiar with both Kaikagetsu and 212 Steakhouse. They were rather popular joints around the area and their food always lived up to their reputation. “Sounds like you have good taste.” he said with a small laugh. “212 Steakhouse has the best ribeye that I’ve had so far.” It had been ages since he had last gone out to the steakhouse—he believed the last time he was there had been a year or so ago to celebrate the success of one of his friends—that bringing it up now gave him a craving for it. The alcohol in his system likely also played a large part in fueling his desire since he hadn’t had much to eat before coming to the bar in the first place. Daniel drummed his finger tips briefly against the bar counter as his gaze glanced from their empty drinks over to the bartender, thinking over his current options.
“All that talk has me wondering if you’d like to grab a bite to eat with me?” Daniel asked, focusing his gaze back onto Alex and flashing her another charming smile. He sincerely hoped that she’d agree to go with him. Hunger aside, leaving the bar for food would feel like a step in the right direction to winning her interest enough to spend the night with her. She seemed interested in him already but Daniel had his doubts that they extended that far yet. As for the engagement party he left behind… well, he had already abandoned it so it was the furthest concern from his mind. “I was thinking 212 Steakhouse since you’ve got me craving a good steak now. Plus I figure it’d be rude to ignore your excellent suggestions and go somewhere else.”
Daniel paused, realizing she may not be eager to leave the bar just yet. The night was still fairly young after all and they hadn’t been talking for that long. Not wanting to seem like he was pushing to get her alone too fast, he decided to make her another offer to balance it out. “Or if you’d prefer, I could order us another round of drinks?” he asked with a gesture towards her empty glass.
Sounds good! Sorry I went on a little hiatus but I'm slowly making my way back! Hope to have a reply up sometime within the next week
I'm finally baaaaccckkkk :D
As the meeting ensued, Penelope was left to play catch up while the others talked about upcoming battle plans. It wasn’t surprising since Gavin hadn’t been able to fully catch her up the night before. What did shock her was when the barons decided on when the next attack would be launched. From what she knew, it hadn’t been long since the last one so when Mia and the others agreed on launching into another battle in three days, she was caught off guard. The knight shifted uneasily, glancing around at the other lieutenants that were seated near her. Layth ’s expression was hard to read aside from the determination that lined it. Tomas and Gavin, however, looked less than thrilled but refused to say anything against the matter.
It also didn’t give her a lot of time to push the barons to act defensively rather than offensively. Penelope wanted to convince them sooner rather than later but she had been hoping to at least settle in a bit more before she purposed her plan. Unfortunately it seemed she wouldn’t get the luxury to prepare a bit more.
“So it’s settled?” Mia asked.
“Actually,” Penelope spoke up with a small frown. “there’s a plan I’d like to propose before the battle plans go through.”
“And what could you possibly have to say?” Edward asked narrowing his gaze on her. “You just returned to the battle front.”
“I’m aware.” Penelope muttered before sitting up straighter. “But I know more about the king’s plans for this war. As Mia informed you earlier, the viceroy is currently traveling to Younis to speak with their king about finding a peaceful end to this war.” While the barons didn’t flinch at her words, Layth visibly clenched his jaw, clearly still bother by the information. Penelope continued after her words were met with a brief silence from Edward and the other barons. “Therefore, we should be aligning our plans to match with the king’s. Since he is opting to try and reach a peaceful solution, our actions on the battlefield now should reflect that.”
Edward narrowed his eyes at her with unrestrained suspicion. “Exactly what are you suggesting, lieutenant?” he questioned with an edge to his voice. It seemed he already had the answer to his own question.
“I’m suggesting we act only defensively when it comes to battles.” Penelope stated with a shrug. After facing the king and rallying so many high ranking nobles behind her, she found that Edward’s harsh looks had even less effect on her than before. “We shouldn’t be striking Younis while our kingdom is trying to negotiate peace.”
“You’re mad.” Edward snorted. “Peace is not guaranteed! We’re still at war here. Acting defensively would just make us weak.”
Mia glanced at Edward and pursed her lips together before turning her gaze back onto Penelope. “I understand where you are coming from Penelope, but I worry about how that will effect our supplies as well as our people. Acting only defensively means that we are sacrificing potential wins over Younis. I’m not sure this is the best route for us to take even if it does align with the king’s plans.” the baroness said with a conflicted tone.
Around her it seem that overall, the idea wasn’t well received. Bennett looked at her skeptically, Layth had his arms crossed with a scowl on his face, and even Tomas shifted uneasily in his seat. The only form of support Penelope was able to find as she glanced around the tent was Gavin, who met her gaze with a small nod of approval. Penelope let out a small sigh. It also didn’t help that she wasn’t overly prepared but the knight was still determined to convince them.
“I know you’re hesitant but in the long run this is what is best for us.” Penelope pushed on. “If we don’t start battles that means we can conserve both people and supplies. It’ll be easier to be defensive than you may think, even if we are sacrificing potential victories in order to do so.” The female knight shifted her gaze between the barons before resting it upon her disgruntled uncle. “It won’t weaken us, nor will we come off as weak so long as we are able to continuously push back their advances.”
“It’s still absurd!” Layth finally snapped. “The man sent by the king is a criminal that belongs in the gallows. This war stands no chance of ending peacefully.”
“Exactly.” Edward grunted. “You may have convinced the king but that lowly cur is far from a proper viceroy.”
Penelope clenched her teeth at the harsh words of her family members. Of course, they still only saw Crow as a criminal and nothing more. That was made very apparent by her brother but she had been hoping the favor showed to him by the king would keep her uncle from using such an argument against her. She started to open her mouth to defend the new viceroy when Mia jumped back into the conversation with a confused gaze that flickered between Layth and Edward.
“I’m surprised you two are talking so hostilely about the new viceroy. I thought you would have started to accept him at the very least considering the situation.” Mia mused.
Edward’s irritation dimmed slightly as he raised an eyebrow at the baroness. “What? What situation?”
Mia slowly slid her gaze between Edward and Penelope before settling on Edward once again. The look made Penelope tense with realization at what the baroness was referring to. For a brief moment, the female lieutenant could almost swear that her baroness’ lip curled slightly into a smirk. “Why Edward, I’m talking about the fact that Penelope is being courted by the new viceroy.” the baroness stated with simplicity as she looked at the other baron.
It was another piece of information that Penelope had been hoping to slowly release to Edward and Layth within her time at the warfront. She knew there was no way to make them fully pleased about the situation but she had been hoping to at least establish that Crow was more than the criminal they were so quick to label him as. Of course, now there would be no chance to do that. She braced herself for their responses. While she may have been hoping to make break the news a little easier, she wasn’t about to deny or feel guilt over the courtship.
“Excuse me?” Edward growled, slowly growing flustered over the new information.
“It’s true.” Penelope said evenly. “I was going to tell you at a better time but the viceroy, Collin, is courting me for marriage.”
“What the hell?!” Layth snapped. “There’s no way father would approve this! You’re a disgrace.”
Penelope rolled her eyes. “I assure you, we got his blessing before the courtship began.”
“Of course he did.” Edward muttered under his breath.
Layth clenched his jaw, seeming ready to say more when some cleared their throat. Penelope flickered her gaze over to the source of the noise, her eyes landing upon Tomas who was sitting rather rigidly. The older lieutenant gave a sheepish smile and glanced at everyone aside from the squabbling Vermillions. “Sorry to interrupt but this seems like a private matter. Perhaps the rest of us should step out and we can reconvene tomorrow for a decision about battle plans?” he suggested.
“Yes, that sounds like a good idea.” Mia agreed with a firm nod. The baroness rose to her feet and looked over at the Vermillions. “We’ll leave the tent to you then.”
“Thank you.” Edward muttered ambigiously. A tense silence fell over the three as they waited for the others to exit the tent. Penelope let out a breath and tried to ignore the harsh glare that Layth was giving her. Instead, she glanced away to see watch Bennett and Gavin exit, the latter giving her a faint, halfhearted smile. Now alone with her two family members, she turned look over at Edward as she readied to defend herself.
“You’re a damn traitor.” Layth growled immediately.
Penelope shot a glare at her brother. “I am not. I’ve been nothing but loyal to this battalion.”
“You worked with a criminal and now you’re going to marry him! You’re far from a loyal knight when you’re clearly entangled with the enemy.” Layth retorted. “You should have your titled stripped from you before you bring any more dishonor to this fa—“
“Layth, enough.” Edward finally spoke up again with a stern tone.
Penelope blinked in unbridled surprised as her uncle cut her brother off before her could finishing chiding her. Layth even seemed confused but the male knight reluctantly closed his mouth and looked to his baron. Unsure what to expect, Penelope did the same, readying to defend herself and Crow against whatever Edward or Layth had to say. Their words and threats carried no weight to her anymore now that Crow was a noble alongside her.
“Penelope,” Edward began with a breath. “I wish you would have informed me about this development sooner. I apologize for the harsh words earlier, I was still bitter over the past but clearly we need to move on from that and accept our new viceroy just as the king has. With that said, congratulations on your courtship.”
She watched in momentary shock as her uncle smiled at her. Of all the reactions she predicted to see from him, this was not one of them. Besides her, Layth looked even more dumbstruck by the words that had left Edward’s lips. Her brother’s eyes were wide and his mouth slightly agape as he fumbled for words to respond to this unexpected development. While Layth was flabbergasted, Penelope broke from her shock as she noticed the hint of slyness that laid in her uncle’s smile. He was playing at some angle.
“Uncle, you can’t be serious… This man is no more than a cleaned up criminal. He’s no viceroy!” Layth stated with disbelief.
“Layth, the king has assigned him the very high rank of viceroy. Do you really believe the king would be so foolish as to do so without good reason?” Edward pointed out.
“I’m certainly starting to…” Layth grunted. “A horrible mistake was made by someone.”
Edward sent a sharp glare at his lieutenant. “Foolish talk like that will only hurt our battalion and our family… It would serve you well to take a page out of your sister’s book and trust our king.”
Ah, that’s why he’s so accepting of this development…Penelope thought as she watched the exchanged between her brother and uncle. Edward must have calculated the social benefits to having a family member married to the viceroy. It would certainly explain why he was taking her side over Layth’s. Not that he’ll ever see any benefits from me..she added dryly. Whether he truly believed she was only courting Crow for political gain or not, the knight had no intention of letting her uncle of all people try to use her or Crow for a power grab.
Turning back to Penelope, Edward gave a supportive nod to her. “I believe there’s no need to discuss this further.” he spoke, as he snuck a glance of warning towards Layth. While Edward was quick to compromise his ideals in favor of using this development to his advantage, his nephew wasn’t. Layth tightened his jaw in further frustration at the look his uncle sent him before shooting a glare at Penelope. Their uncle didn’t bother to reprimand him again though and continued on with a pleased tone of voice. “As I said before, congratulations on your courtship. You’re both free to leave now.”
Penelope eyed him a moment before dipping her head. “Thank you.” she mumbled. Though she might have figured out his motives, it was still strange to have her uncle treating her in a relatively positive manner. After years of him viewing her poorly, the change was sudden and sharp no matter what the reason behind it. It made her all the more eager to leave his presence. The female knight rose to her feet and stepped out of the tent, a motion behind her told her that Layth had done the same. Stepping out of the tent, she walked on with the intent to find one of her friends before supper but didn’t get all too far when someone suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her to an unexpected stop. Penelope stumbled and whirled her head around to face Layth, who’s face contorted with anger.
“Listen, I don’t care what uncle or father think about this courtship. They’re wrong about this and I won’t stand to watch you drag our family name through the mud.” Layth growled lowly before she had a chance to speak.
Yanking her arm out of his grip, Penelope rolled her eyes at his words. “And how are you going to do that, Layth?” she asked dryly. “You can’t go to uncle nor father. The man I’m courting outranks you and to top it off, I hold the same rank you do. You don’t have the power.”
Layth hesitated for a brief moment before shaking his head. “I don’t care! Do you not remember what that bastard did? He almost killed me and he stabbed you in the shoulder or did you forget about him being the enemy when you two got entangled?”
“I didn’t forget. But that situation wouldn’t have occurred if you hadn’t almost killed a child.” Penelope snapped back. She was already frustrated with how Layth reacted to the news but him bringing up the past to try to prove Crow was an enemy only sparked the flame further. “Besides that, I think you almost beating him to death makes you two even. Or can you not let that go because he was going to beat you?”
“Cur.” Layth spat first instead of answering her. “That has nothing to do with it. The point is he is the enemy and one way or another, you and the rest of the kingdom are going to learn that. So I suggest you learn it first.”
Penelope narrowed her eyes at his tone of warning. “Unlikely.” she stated with a hint of coldness to her voice. Before Layth could say anymore, the knight turned away from him and stepped fast to leave her agitated brother behind.
It also didn’t give her a lot of time to push the barons to act defensively rather than offensively. Penelope wanted to convince them sooner rather than later but she had been hoping to at least settle in a bit more before she purposed her plan. Unfortunately it seemed she wouldn’t get the luxury to prepare a bit more.
“So it’s settled?” Mia asked.
“Actually,” Penelope spoke up with a small frown. “there’s a plan I’d like to propose before the battle plans go through.”
“And what could you possibly have to say?” Edward asked narrowing his gaze on her. “You just returned to the battle front.”
“I’m aware.” Penelope muttered before sitting up straighter. “But I know more about the king’s plans for this war. As Mia informed you earlier, the viceroy is currently traveling to Younis to speak with their king about finding a peaceful end to this war.” While the barons didn’t flinch at her words, Layth visibly clenched his jaw, clearly still bother by the information. Penelope continued after her words were met with a brief silence from Edward and the other barons. “Therefore, we should be aligning our plans to match with the king’s. Since he is opting to try and reach a peaceful solution, our actions on the battlefield now should reflect that.”
Edward narrowed his eyes at her with unrestrained suspicion. “Exactly what are you suggesting, lieutenant?” he questioned with an edge to his voice. It seemed he already had the answer to his own question.
“I’m suggesting we act only defensively when it comes to battles.” Penelope stated with a shrug. After facing the king and rallying so many high ranking nobles behind her, she found that Edward’s harsh looks had even less effect on her than before. “We shouldn’t be striking Younis while our kingdom is trying to negotiate peace.”
“You’re mad.” Edward snorted. “Peace is not guaranteed! We’re still at war here. Acting defensively would just make us weak.”
Mia glanced at Edward and pursed her lips together before turning her gaze back onto Penelope. “I understand where you are coming from Penelope, but I worry about how that will effect our supplies as well as our people. Acting only defensively means that we are sacrificing potential wins over Younis. I’m not sure this is the best route for us to take even if it does align with the king’s plans.” the baroness said with a conflicted tone.
Around her it seem that overall, the idea wasn’t well received. Bennett looked at her skeptically, Layth had his arms crossed with a scowl on his face, and even Tomas shifted uneasily in his seat. The only form of support Penelope was able to find as she glanced around the tent was Gavin, who met her gaze with a small nod of approval. Penelope let out a small sigh. It also didn’t help that she wasn’t overly prepared but the knight was still determined to convince them.
“I know you’re hesitant but in the long run this is what is best for us.” Penelope pushed on. “If we don’t start battles that means we can conserve both people and supplies. It’ll be easier to be defensive than you may think, even if we are sacrificing potential victories in order to do so.” The female knight shifted her gaze between the barons before resting it upon her disgruntled uncle. “It won’t weaken us, nor will we come off as weak so long as we are able to continuously push back their advances.”
“It’s still absurd!” Layth finally snapped. “The man sent by the king is a criminal that belongs in the gallows. This war stands no chance of ending peacefully.”
“Exactly.” Edward grunted. “You may have convinced the king but that lowly cur is far from a proper viceroy.”
Penelope clenched her teeth at the harsh words of her family members. Of course, they still only saw Crow as a criminal and nothing more. That was made very apparent by her brother but she had been hoping the favor showed to him by the king would keep her uncle from using such an argument against her. She started to open her mouth to defend the new viceroy when Mia jumped back into the conversation with a confused gaze that flickered between Layth and Edward.
“I’m surprised you two are talking so hostilely about the new viceroy. I thought you would have started to accept him at the very least considering the situation.” Mia mused.
Edward’s irritation dimmed slightly as he raised an eyebrow at the baroness. “What? What situation?”
Mia slowly slid her gaze between Edward and Penelope before settling on Edward once again. The look made Penelope tense with realization at what the baroness was referring to. For a brief moment, the female lieutenant could almost swear that her baroness’ lip curled slightly into a smirk. “Why Edward, I’m talking about the fact that Penelope is being courted by the new viceroy.” the baroness stated with simplicity as she looked at the other baron.
It was another piece of information that Penelope had been hoping to slowly release to Edward and Layth within her time at the warfront. She knew there was no way to make them fully pleased about the situation but she had been hoping to at least establish that Crow was more than the criminal they were so quick to label him as. Of course, now there would be no chance to do that. She braced herself for their responses. While she may have been hoping to make break the news a little easier, she wasn’t about to deny or feel guilt over the courtship.
“Excuse me?” Edward growled, slowly growing flustered over the new information.
“It’s true.” Penelope said evenly. “I was going to tell you at a better time but the viceroy, Collin, is courting me for marriage.”
“What the hell?!” Layth snapped. “There’s no way father would approve this! You’re a disgrace.”
Penelope rolled her eyes. “I assure you, we got his blessing before the courtship began.”
“Of course he did.” Edward muttered under his breath.
Layth clenched his jaw, seeming ready to say more when some cleared their throat. Penelope flickered her gaze over to the source of the noise, her eyes landing upon Tomas who was sitting rather rigidly. The older lieutenant gave a sheepish smile and glanced at everyone aside from the squabbling Vermillions. “Sorry to interrupt but this seems like a private matter. Perhaps the rest of us should step out and we can reconvene tomorrow for a decision about battle plans?” he suggested.
“Yes, that sounds like a good idea.” Mia agreed with a firm nod. The baroness rose to her feet and looked over at the Vermillions. “We’ll leave the tent to you then.”
“Thank you.” Edward muttered ambigiously. A tense silence fell over the three as they waited for the others to exit the tent. Penelope let out a breath and tried to ignore the harsh glare that Layth was giving her. Instead, she glanced away to see watch Bennett and Gavin exit, the latter giving her a faint, halfhearted smile. Now alone with her two family members, she turned look over at Edward as she readied to defend herself.
“You’re a damn traitor.” Layth growled immediately.
Penelope shot a glare at her brother. “I am not. I’ve been nothing but loyal to this battalion.”
“You worked with a criminal and now you’re going to marry him! You’re far from a loyal knight when you’re clearly entangled with the enemy.” Layth retorted. “You should have your titled stripped from you before you bring any more dishonor to this fa—“
“Layth, enough.” Edward finally spoke up again with a stern tone.
Penelope blinked in unbridled surprised as her uncle cut her brother off before her could finishing chiding her. Layth even seemed confused but the male knight reluctantly closed his mouth and looked to his baron. Unsure what to expect, Penelope did the same, readying to defend herself and Crow against whatever Edward or Layth had to say. Their words and threats carried no weight to her anymore now that Crow was a noble alongside her.
“Penelope,” Edward began with a breath. “I wish you would have informed me about this development sooner. I apologize for the harsh words earlier, I was still bitter over the past but clearly we need to move on from that and accept our new viceroy just as the king has. With that said, congratulations on your courtship.”
She watched in momentary shock as her uncle smiled at her. Of all the reactions she predicted to see from him, this was not one of them. Besides her, Layth looked even more dumbstruck by the words that had left Edward’s lips. Her brother’s eyes were wide and his mouth slightly agape as he fumbled for words to respond to this unexpected development. While Layth was flabbergasted, Penelope broke from her shock as she noticed the hint of slyness that laid in her uncle’s smile. He was playing at some angle.
“Uncle, you can’t be serious… This man is no more than a cleaned up criminal. He’s no viceroy!” Layth stated with disbelief.
“Layth, the king has assigned him the very high rank of viceroy. Do you really believe the king would be so foolish as to do so without good reason?” Edward pointed out.
“I’m certainly starting to…” Layth grunted. “A horrible mistake was made by someone.”
Edward sent a sharp glare at his lieutenant. “Foolish talk like that will only hurt our battalion and our family… It would serve you well to take a page out of your sister’s book and trust our king.”
Ah, that’s why he’s so accepting of this development…Penelope thought as she watched the exchanged between her brother and uncle. Edward must have calculated the social benefits to having a family member married to the viceroy. It would certainly explain why he was taking her side over Layth’s. Not that he’ll ever see any benefits from me..she added dryly. Whether he truly believed she was only courting Crow for political gain or not, the knight had no intention of letting her uncle of all people try to use her or Crow for a power grab.
Turning back to Penelope, Edward gave a supportive nod to her. “I believe there’s no need to discuss this further.” he spoke, as he snuck a glance of warning towards Layth. While Edward was quick to compromise his ideals in favor of using this development to his advantage, his nephew wasn’t. Layth tightened his jaw in further frustration at the look his uncle sent him before shooting a glare at Penelope. Their uncle didn’t bother to reprimand him again though and continued on with a pleased tone of voice. “As I said before, congratulations on your courtship. You’re both free to leave now.”
Penelope eyed him a moment before dipping her head. “Thank you.” she mumbled. Though she might have figured out his motives, it was still strange to have her uncle treating her in a relatively positive manner. After years of him viewing her poorly, the change was sudden and sharp no matter what the reason behind it. It made her all the more eager to leave his presence. The female knight rose to her feet and stepped out of the tent, a motion behind her told her that Layth had done the same. Stepping out of the tent, she walked on with the intent to find one of her friends before supper but didn’t get all too far when someone suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her to an unexpected stop. Penelope stumbled and whirled her head around to face Layth, who’s face contorted with anger.
“Listen, I don’t care what uncle or father think about this courtship. They’re wrong about this and I won’t stand to watch you drag our family name through the mud.” Layth growled lowly before she had a chance to speak.
Yanking her arm out of his grip, Penelope rolled her eyes at his words. “And how are you going to do that, Layth?” she asked dryly. “You can’t go to uncle nor father. The man I’m courting outranks you and to top it off, I hold the same rank you do. You don’t have the power.”
Layth hesitated for a brief moment before shaking his head. “I don’t care! Do you not remember what that bastard did? He almost killed me and he stabbed you in the shoulder or did you forget about him being the enemy when you two got entangled?”
“I didn’t forget. But that situation wouldn’t have occurred if you hadn’t almost killed a child.” Penelope snapped back. She was already frustrated with how Layth reacted to the news but him bringing up the past to try to prove Crow was an enemy only sparked the flame further. “Besides that, I think you almost beating him to death makes you two even. Or can you not let that go because he was going to beat you?”
“Cur.” Layth spat first instead of answering her. “That has nothing to do with it. The point is he is the enemy and one way or another, you and the rest of the kingdom are going to learn that. So I suggest you learn it first.”
Penelope narrowed her eyes at his tone of warning. “Unlikely.” she stated with a hint of coldness to her voice. Before Layth could say anymore, the knight turned away from him and stepped fast to leave her agitated brother behind.
You’re good, don’t worry about it. I hope everything’s going well
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