Penelope moved to creep along the hallway wall, trying her best to stay as covered by the shadows. She watched the guards with care, making sure their backs were turned to her as she hurried toward the kitchen. As she reached the door, she opened it slowly, trying to avoid making any noise that would draw attention. Even though she did so successfully, a pair of unwanted eyes fell on her. 

“Guards! The kitchen!” Dotty’s caught both Penelope’s attention and the two guards at the door. [i]Shit, shit, shit![/i] Penelope ran into the kitchen as she heard the faint sound of footsteps charging towards the kitchen. Luckily she had a head start, she just had to move fast to keep it. The knight moved swiftly towards the pantry door, hoping to slip in and out before the three entered the kitchen. Then a loud clap of thunder sounded from outside making the knight freeze in her tracks. Her heart pounded fearfully in her chest as she realized the storm outside was getting worse. For a moment, she nearly forgot what she was doing and began to look for a place to hide and take shelter.

[i]No no no! Focus Penelope! You’re safe inside just focus![/i] Penelope shook her head, coming back to her senses slightly as she moved to hurry into the pantry. She reached up and grabbed the keys she had located above the door from earlier then sped towards the door. Her hand fumbled with the locks, still shaking with fear. She tried not to think about how worse it was going to get once she stepped outside. 

“Step away from the door, Farah!” Growled Dotty. Penelope turned to see the three had caught up with her and were stalking towards her menacingly. She gripped her hidden dagger tightly as she glared across at the three. What was surprising was how coldly Dotty looked at her. It certainly wasn’t the bubbly servant she had gotten to know over the day. 

[i]I can’t beat both of them...[/i] The knight pursed her lips together as she eyed the two guards. She just needed to buy a little more time to figure something out. [i]What would Crow do...[/i] She put on a smirk and eyed them challengingly. “Alright, alright!” She said moving to step away from the door. She eyed a shelf out of the corner of her eye. “I think I’ve done enough damage already anyways.” She mused. 

“You bitch..” One of the guards growled and moved to draw his sword. He was soon caught off guard as he only pulled out half a sword. “What the-“

Penelope blinked in surprise but took the opportunity. She darted towards them then shifted directions towards the shelf as the second guard move to draw his sword as well. She slammed into the shelf, making it topple over and crash into the bewildered knights. She tumbled to the ground alongside it, wincing.  The knight began to push herself back up when a screech came from the right. Suddenly, she was dragged back onto the ground by Dotty, who had dodged the shelf and then tackled Penelope. The two tussled on the ground until Dotty pinned Penelope down and brandished a dagger of her own. She pointed it close to the knight’s throat. 

Now close up, Penelope noticed how red Dotty’s eyes were and that tears were still trickling down them. [i]She thinks everyone’s dying.. She thinks Emeric is dying.[/i] Penelope realized in alarm. That’s why the servant was so out for her blood. Perhaps that would give her a way out of this situation. “I won’t let you get away with this!” The servant declared with a strained voice. 

“Dotty! Wait! Wait!” Penelope began quickly as she felt her press the dagger closer to her neck. She flinched slightly. “They’re not dead! No one’s dead!”

“You poisoned them! They can’t move. Don’t lie to me anymore!”

“I’m not! By the gods, I swear I’m not this time! They’re all going to be fine. Emeric is going to be fine. The poison just makes them hallucinate and paralyze for a little but it’ll wear off.” Penelope looked up pleadingly at Dotty. The servant seemed to accept her words for a moment and Penelope felt her grip on her relax slightly. [i]Now![/i] The knight shot her knee up into Dotty’s stomach, kicking her off of her much like she had done to Crow before, and rolled them over so she now had the upper hand. Penelope quickly reclaimed the dagger she had dropped and wasted no time as she slammed the hilt against the side of Dotty’s head, effectively knocking the servant out. 

Penelope moved off the unconscious servant and slumped against the wall to catch her breath. With all the fighting, she had nearly forgotten about the storm outside. She looked at the unlocked door with hesitation. If she froze up and a guard or archer caught sight of her, chances were it would all be over. [i]It’s just thunder... It’s not going to hurt you..[/i] She slowly opened the door, almost immediately being greeted by heavy raindrops. She slipped outside and hurried into the garden for cover. A flash of lightening and a clap of thunder, made her freeze by one of the trees. Her heart raced rapidly in her chest and she felt her legs tremble in fear.

She felt her panic of being outside in the poor weather beginning to set in as she tried to catch her breath. Penelope leaned against the tree and closed her eyes tightly, trying to calm herself down enough to move before anyone took notice of her. She thought of Crow, wishing he was besides her to keep her calm. She thought about his warm embrace, his kiss, and meeting up with him again after they both succeeded. With another burst of determination, Penelope opened her eyes and scanned the surrounding area. It seemed most of the guards had hurried into the castle but she still noticed a few archers perched to watch out for anyone leaving the castle. It wouldn’t be too difficult to get past them thanks to the rain and the fact that she wouldn’t be heading for the front entrance. Her eyes locked in on the cellar door and she gripped the hilt of her dagger tightly as she tried to summon the courage to move from her spot.