Penelope stood like a statue as she stared down at Abraxas. Her blood ran cold as what had happened began to sink in. Not only had she come closed to being killed but now one of her comrades was dead because of her fear of the weather. [i]I killed him..[/i]The knight paled at the thought. She felt sick to her stomach, nearly feeling like she was going to throw up as guilt began to consume her. “Penelope, I swear to the gods, move!” William snarled at her. She looked over at him, surprised to see how panicked he looked despite the rage in his expression. He suddenly grabbed her arm and gave her a sharp tug as he began to pull her towards the gate. 

She could barely move in time at first and was practically being dragged along by the older knight as he ran for the opening of the front gate. A bit disoriented, she didn’t fight against him and instead turned her head to look around. It was then she noticed that the guards from the dungeon were charging towards them with weapons drawn. They were gaining ground fast. Her eyes shifted back to notice another arrow hit the ground near them, alerting her that the archer was still aware of where they were. 

Coming back to her senses a bit, she found her own footing and began to run alongside William. The older knight looked relieved and was able to pick up his pace now that he wasn’t dragging dead weight behind him. The thunder began to fade into the background, replaced by the hammering sound of her heart. They had come this far, she couldn't imagine not making it out now. Penelope gripped William's had as they reached the gates. She sprinted ahead of him slightly and pulled him into the shadows casted by the wall. It would keep them safe from the archer's view but they needed to move quickly to avoid the guards that were approaching.

Wordlessly, she lead William along the shadows until they were as close as they could get to the tree line. She glanced over at the guards as they searched for where the two had disappeared to and then looked back at the tree line. With a flash of lightning, Penelope bolted into the cover of the trees with William in tow. For a while, the two just ran through the forest, not bothering to see if they were followed and just trying to put distance between themselves and the castle. 

Penelope finally had to slow to a stop to catch her breath. William doubled over placing his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his as well. "Did... Did they follow us?" Penelope managed out between breaths as she glanced over at William. The older knight shook his head. 

"No.. No.. I don't think they saw us." William cleared his throat and moved to lean back against a nearby tree. "Let's just rest for a moment. I think we're safe now."

Penelope hesitated. Every part of her was screaming to keep moving and get as far as she could from the palace but she realized that probably wasn't the wisest idea. Both the knights were drenched from the rain and if they pushed themselves too much, they'd end up sick with fevers. She let out a soft exhale and nodded her head in agreement. "Ok." She mumbled. 

Though William seemed glad for the break, Penelope shifted anxiously as her gaze drifted to the castle. The fate of Crow was still unknown to her and after losing one of her comrade during their escape, she wasn't exactly feeling confident. The knight scanned the forest around them, desperate for any sign that the thief was nearby, even though it wasn't their designated meeting place. 

"So... You want to start explain?" William said looking over at her questioningly.

"What?" 

He snorted and crossed his arms. "Everything! How did you get in the castle and what the hell is going on?!"

"Oh.." Penelope paused before focusing her gaze over at the other knight. "I was just sticking to the mission.. Me and Crow-"

"Wait! The thief is still with you?" William looked at her with unsuppressed surprise. "I thought he would have ran off the moment we got captured.."

Penelope looked over at William and crossed her arms. She felt a bit of protectiveness bubble inside her. "He's not what you think he is. He's a good person."

William raised an eyebrow at her and snorted. "We'll see... He might just take the staff and run."

The female knight shot a glare at William. "You'd be dead by tomorrow if I was the only one in that castle. You owe him thanks not criticism." She told him sharply. William shifted his gaze away looking annoyed. [i]Well it's progress..[/i] Penelope thought as the older knight didn't argue with her words. "Anyways," She continued on shifting her gaze away. "we stuck to the mission and got inside the castle.. I was going to stick with him the whole way through but then we overheard some knights talking about your execution so we parted ways.. He went after the staff and I went after you and Abraxas.." She trailed off slightly as she mentioned the younger knight. Her gaze lowered and she felt her guilt building up again. 

William held a somber expression, not completely unfazed by the event. He opened his mouth to say something but then decided against it. He sighed and pushed himself off the tree. "Come on, let's keep moving.." He grumbled as he walked past Penelope. She hesitated, casting a glance back towards the castle. [i]Oh Collin, please be ok...[/i] She closed her eyes tightly for a moment before turning to continue onwards with William.