Penelope walked down the long corridor of the castle, bubbling with both nervousness and excitement. Today would be the first day of her mission for the king and it was a rather important one at that. Her gaze flickered between the two knights accompanying her, both men but of varying skill. The one that lead them down the hallway, William, was an older knight with plenty of experience and a foul temper. He wasn't the best of company in her opinion but he was reliable. And he was the reason she had gotten this job in the first place so she supposed she owed him a bit more credit.

The other was Abraxas. He was a couple years younger than herself and honestly she believed the boy to be a bit of an airhead. However, he was a trustworthy swordsman and training to become the next viceroy. Despite his inexperience and obliviousness, he was an obvious choice for the mission ahead. Especially since it would require them to cross into a neighboring kingdom. 

However, her comrades for this mission would not just be the two male knights.

"I can't believe the king is going to let that criminal out for a mission like this..." William growled under his breath as they neared the council room. 

"Well... He's certainly know for... his [i]talents[/i]. Ones knights wouldn't have or probably be able to recreate." Abraxas pointed out quietly. 

Penelope nodded her head in absent-minded agreement as her mind wandered to the person that would soon be joining them. The fourth person on this mission would be none other than the well known thief, Crow Lockton. She had never seen or chased after him herself so she wasn't sure what to expect from the criminal. Honestly, she barely had any experience in dealing with any criminals, let alone one who was quite well known amongst most the kingdom. The female knight wasn't quite sure how she should approach handling and guarding him, especially since they'd likely be stuck together for quite a while on this mission. She worked as a castle guard, not a prison guard.

Her gaze flickered over to William, who grunted in acknowledgement of Abraxas' words. Out of the three, he was the one with the most experience. His foul temper aside, Penelope figured it'd likely be best for her to follow his lead as well as putting to use what she knew about guarding and prisoners. Surely it wouldn't be too difficult. 

The three reached the council room and stepped inside. The king turned his head from a conversation with one of the guards as the three knights stepped in, each bowing deeply to their ruler. He gave them a small nod of acknowledgement and then gestured to the table at the back of the room. 

"Good timing.. The thief will be joining you all shortly so please, have a seat until then. I still need to explain what's going on to that criminal." the king mused calmly. 

"Of course your majesty." Abraxas nodded.

William wrinkled his nose slightly at the mention of the thief before nodding as well and moving to take a seat at the table. Penelope trotted after him and Abraxas, taking the seat at one end. A silence fell between the knights, one that felt unsettling to Penelope but didn't seem to phase the others. Nothing broke the silence until the door opened and in came the prison guards with the long awaited thief. 

Curious, she studied him. He was thin and rugged, no doubt due to his time in prison, and immediately he showed his lack of respect for the king. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed William visibly tensen with anger. Her gaze narrowed at the infamous thief and held her head a little higher. She supposed his disrespectful words towards the king should have bother her more but she was more annoyed with how cocky he seemed saying such words to the ruler of their kingdom. 

As the thief finally took notice of them, she regarded him with a stern, icy gaze. She may not have the experience of William, but she didn't want the thief to know that. In fact, she wanted to appear as stern a figure as the older knight. Perhaps it would encourage for less problems on the trip. Especially when it was such an important mission.
 
She gracefully rose to her feet, followed by the two men, and approached the king and Crow. She stopped and bowed to the king, "We're pleased to be able to help in such an important task." she said respectfully to the king and meaning it. Despite her personal opinion of the king and his choices, she was glad for the opportunity to help prevent a war. A war that could put her loved ones at risk if it occurred. 

"Yes... It's a shame, though... To be forced to put up with such a vile thing." grumbled William. He glared hostilely at Crow. The old man had a temper worse than her own and with much less restraint. If any rash decisions were made, it would likely be by him.