Penelope froze at his words as he said they should stop seeing each other. For a moment, she was still expecting a different explanation since his words had been so far from what she had guessed was wrong. She stared him in disbelief as he went on to explain his reasoning on why he believed she should let him go. Her throat grew tight with emotion as she listened to him, noticing the guilt that seemed to hang in his words. She'd had no clue that the issue had been bugging him so deeply, enough to even push him to think they were better off separating. The knight remained silent as he spoke and felt herself tremble at the thought of actually listening to his words. She knew better, she knew she couldn't let him go.

"Crow, I.." she paused feeling her voice shake slightly. She shook her head and shifted her gaze away from him. "You're wrong... You're so wrong about this." The knight pursed her lips together, trying to figure out how to make him understand how she felt. He seemed so certain that he was wrong for her and she wanted to change that. Penelope needed him to realize just how important he was to her and how she wouldn't come to regret being with him like both he and Gavin thought. 

She suddenly grabbed his hand and lifted it to her cheek near her scar, holding it there firmly. "Just listen first, ok?" she told him, letting out a long exhale. "When I got this scar, I was chasing after the staff... I was so determined to prevent the war from happening that I got reckless. I was blinded by desperation that I probably would have searched for that damned staff until I got killed if it hadn't been for William, who forced me to accept the truth that it was gone and war was coming.."

Penelope lowered her gaze away from him. "I wasn't trying so hard to prevent the war because of my family or to help the outer villages.. There was no noble reason. It was entirely selfish. I just wanted to get back to you during that time and I didn't want to give you up. When I finally did accept the truth, I thought I had lost any future with you forever so I had to focus back on what I knew. My job, my family, my status... With time, I learned to bury my feelings for you but over the course of two whole years, I was never able to actually let you go.

"I've lived with the regret of losing you and our future for two whole years, Crow. Everything that I have right now isn't even what I wanted to begin with. What I wanted was to be with you in Farhill... I mean, gods! I was with Gavin for nearly a year and I left him in a matter of mere weeks just to be with you." She let go of his hand, letting her own fall to her side as she let out a quiet sigh. "I know peasant life is go to be far different than what I've known as a noble and I know I'm leaving a lot behind... I'm not saying it'll be easy  but I know it'll be worth it.. You're just looking at it the wrong way."

She lifted her gaze again to meet his with an affection gaze. Her eyes were a bit watery, still a bit emotional at the thought of losing him. "You're acting like my feelings for you are going to expire. Crow, you're the only man I love and the only one I want to be with. You need to stop focusing on what I'm losing and realize what I'm gaining." she poked his chest. "I'm gaining you and that's enough for me."