The longer the two waited the more certain Penelope became that she was right. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to enjoy that feeling for very long. The sound of footsteps caught her attention and she felt Gavin gently nudge her side before nodding his head in the direction of where an all too familiar figure appeared. Penelope felt her heart begin to drop as Crow came into view.  [i]Just because he's out here doesn't mean anything.. He could just be going on a walk..[/i] she told herself trying to steady herself as she prepared to follow him. 

Gavin rested a hand on her shoulder, signaling for them to wait a bit before moving to follow the thief. He had picked up quick on how alert the thief was as he walked through the forest and made sure to be extra careful that they weren't spotted as they tracked him through the forest. The closest they got to discovery was when a nearby stag caused some sound and forced them into further hiding as Crow noticed the noise. Luckily that was the closest they got to being discovered and made the rest of the trip to the clearing without issue. 

Penelope felt her heart pound anxiously in her chest, racing faster every step they got further from his camp. Eventually the clearing came into view and suddenly she felt a numbness take over her as she noticed another man waiting there for Crow. She froze and paled as everything came crashing down on her as she began to realize how wrong she had been. Gavin was right. What other reason was there for this meeting? He would have no reason to meet up with the same villager again after going to Black Hollow. 

"Follow me.. We'll be able to hear them a little from over here." Gavin whispered. She was vaguely aware that he had taken her hand and lead her over to a few bushes they could duck underneath. Coming out of her shock a bit, she knelt down besides the male knight and tried to listen into the conversation as she tried to come to terms with the reality of Crow being the enemy. 

"...they haven’t been able to focus on their search for you after the Younisians attacked their camp.."

"Good."

"....when the raid will happen at the same time as those knights..."

Penelope clenched her jaw in frustration as she strained to hear anything that they were saying. No wonder Gavin hadn't been able to tell her much. With the distance, it was nearly impossible to make out their words. She had to get closer. She needed to know exactly what they were talking about. Perhaps it would help her understand why Crow was working with him in the first place. Her green eyes flickered around until they landed on a large tree that was closer to the clearing and would provide her with just enough cover thanks to the undergrowth around it. She shifted carefully, preparing to make a dart for the better coverage. 

With the thieves focusing on the presence of a new person, she hurried towards the tree and ducked behind it. She held her breath, hoping that her movement hadn't been noticed by the three. As they continued to speak, it seemed she had gotten away with it, as only Gavin, who was staring towards her with wide eyes filled with worry, seemed to notice. She let out the breath she had been holding and tuned back into the conversation the three were having. Now much closer, she was able to hear them clearly, even if she wasn't able to see them as she had her back to the tree to avoid getting spotted.

“That knight spilled the blood of one of our own, so he will be dealt with accordingly.”

[i]Gavin.[/i] Penelope tensed at the realization and glanced back towards the male knight. It had been an assassination attempt and it wouldn't be the last by the sound of it. She closed her eyes, waiting for Crow's response as she held onto a small hope that he'd sway them against taking action. As a simple 'I understand' came from the thief, she felt a lump form in her throat. It felt like another stab to the back as he merely agreed to the murderous thief's words. He was just going to let the man try and kill Gavin. The thought sparked a small flame of fury in the knight, unable to comprehend why he was doing all of this. 

She nearly thought it was over until Crow made one last request to the other thief. One that made the knight's heart feel like it had shattered. 

“The Younisians are going to win regardless of what I do. My companions and I have already discussed it, and we’ve agreed that we want to be on the winning side when this war is over....If that means turning against Brerra to survive, then that’s what we’ll do.”

Covering her mouth to make sure no gasping noises came out, she closed her eyes tightly as she felt her heart break at his words. Gavin had been right all along about everything. He had manipulated her, he had lied to her, and he had been working with Jaxon. [i]And now he's going to fully turn on his whole kingdom... On me...[/i] The knight trembled, feeling weak and ashamed for having been so trusting of the thief. She became aware of the tears streaming down her cheeks and she was so caught up in her swirling emotions of shame, betrayal, fury and most of all, pain, that she barely even registered that the meeting had come to an end. 

Coming back to herself a bit, she curled her lip and wiped away her tears. She couldn't afford to wallow right now. Not when she needed answers from him. Trying to focus on the fury rather than the pain, she got up to her feet and placed a hand on the hilt of her sword as she prepared to confront him. 

"Penelope, wait." she heard Gavin hiss in the distance.

Unfortunately, his words fell on deaf ears as she moved to step out and cut Crow off before he could get too far from the clearing. As her gaze fell on him a mixture of anger and pain took over her expression and she suddenly found herself struggling to say anything without exploding with emotion over his betrayal. "How..." the word came out weakly as she glared at him. "How could you? Y-You bastard!" She felt herself tremble as she strained to keep her voice from cracking. "Explain to me what the hell is going on here, Crow."