As the day wore on, the two siblings eventually turned around and head back to camp. As Penelope suspected, they had no success in finding any of the thieves. The two didn't talk much after their discussion of the past and a heavy silence lingered between them. However, Penelope was glad that Layth seemed to eventually cool down by the time they reached the camp and didn't even blame their lack of success on her. Instead, he merely headed off in a different direction, looking for their uncle to report back to. 

Spending time with Layth usually wasn't enjoyable but Penelope found herself thankful for the time she spent on patrol with him. The knight was able to come to a conclusion. She wanted to be with Crow, even if that meant leaving everything behind. [i]Guess I really only needed two days.[/i] She thought with some amusement as she looked up at the evening sky. Having come to a decision, she couldn't help but notice how clear-headed and joyful she felt. Her heart raced excitedly at the thought of seeing him again and telling him. She smiled to herself as she thought of being in his embrace again. 

"Well, well, well someone looks awfully happy." 

A familiar voice broke her thoughts and she turned her head to see Olivia had wandered over. The other female knight smirked at Penelope and crossed her arms. "What's going on? You have something that you're hiding... And I have a couple guesses!" She chirped. 

"Oh here we go again." Penelope rolled her eyes. "Let me just start by saying, no I didn't sleep with him." 

"Ok but it has something to do with him." Olivia nodded her head with an amused gleam in her eyes. "You've finally accept that you're still in love with him though haven't you?" Penelope opened her mouth and Olivia held up a finger to silence her. "You better not lie to me, Penelope. You're clearly lovesick and I don't want any excuses this time. I think I've earned the truth after not only covering for your ass but also being the one that helped you meet him again. Honestly you owe me big time."

"Alright, alright." Penelope rolled her eyes but smiled a little amused by her friend's persistence. She paused and glanced around before beginning to head towards her tent. "Let's get out of the open first." 

While the knight didn't plan to disclose every detail to her friend, she figured she might as well tell Olivia part of the story. Olivia had proven to be trustworthy enough after all and if it got the drama-loving knight off of her back as well then it was a win-win. Plus, Penelope found herself wanting to speak to someone about it and Olivia was the best option she had. So long as she was careful with what she chose to share, there likely wouldn't be a problem. 

Penelope stepped into her tent with Olivia and the two sat down. "Alright, spill it." Olivia grinned. 

Penelope rolled her eyes. "Ok yes I still love him... I realized it a couple days ago and well...I kinda told him." She blushed and scratched the back of her head awkwardly. 

Olivia looked rather surprised by her admission and let out a small whistle. "Ok well.. I wasn't expecting you to go that quickly but ok good." She chuckled. "I'm assuming he still loves you too. He might look different but from what I could tell he still had those lovestruck puppy eyes." She snickered and leaned back on her palms as she looked over at Penelope. 

"Yeah, he does.." Penelope mumbled with a small smile. 

"Well, all I can say is, you're welcome." Olivia smirked confidently. Her smirk fade and she gave Penelope a questioning look. "Anyways, I'm not sure how you two are going to work this out but whatever... I'm curious though, what are you going to do about Gavin?"

Penelope blinked. She had momentarily forgotten about Gavin and quickly remembered why she needed three days. She may have come to her decision but there was still one more loose end that needed to be dealt with. The answer was simple, she just needed to end their courtship. What worried her was what would happen if Gavin chose to go to her father about it. Then it would be much more difficult to get out of it. There was also a pang of guilt, as part of her felt that she might have accidentally led him on even though that had not been her intent.

Olivia bit her lip but unable to hold back, the female knight bursted out laughing. "You forgot about him didn't you?" She giggled holding her stomach. "Oh that's too perfect."  

"Shut up." Penelope grumbled burying her head in hands.

---

Night eventually fell and Penelope headed to take her post as one of the guards. After speaking with Olivia, she had spent most of the evening alone and avoiding Gavin. She was preparing for tomorrow, for when she would end things between them and begin things again with Crow. She felt bad for having to let Gavin down, especially after he had proven how much he cared for her through his unwavering loyalty. However, she knew that things wouldn't work between, especially when her heart belonged to another man. 

Penelope shifted a bit uneasily as she tried to think of how she would approach letting him go. She knew she would likely be hurting him regardless of what she did but if there was a way to ease the blow, she was determined to use it. 

Under the night sky, she stood quietly watching her surroundings while spending her time thinking of the day to come. Her heart raced with excitement and nervousness. Lost in thought, her guard shift went by quickly and she was soon taken off by Nina. Tired from a long day, she headed to her tent and fell asleep almost as soon as she laid down.