"I don't-"

Hartley's eyes widened and he didn't finish the sentence as something caused him to freeze with alarm at something behind her. Penelope turned her head just in time to Jaxon about to strike her. With no time to react, the knight flinched, bracing herself for the blade to make contact with her. However, it never did. She blinked in surprise as she heard a cry of pain and her gaze landed on Crow, who had been impaled by the strike that was meant for her. Color drained from the knight's face as she stared with a horrified expression at the scene in front of her. 

She didn't know why he was there or where he had come from but that barely seemed important she watched Jaxon push his blade further into Crow.. The battle around her nearly seemed to fade away as every inch of her was focus on Crow and Jaxon. She was vaguely aware of her heart beating fearfully as she watched Crow collapse to the ground. "No.." she breathed. She couldn't lose him. All the anger and pain from the days prior disappeared, only to be replaced by a new sense of heartache. One that made her feel like she was suffocating and was much worse than the last. She was about to run to his side but stop as she caught Jaxon moving towards her with a cruel smirk. 

"I wouldn't worry about him too much." the thief leader mused as he raised his blade towards her. "You'll be joining him soon enough."

The knight felt a rage begin to boil inside of her and she gripped her sword tightly. "You'll pay..." she muttered. 

"What was that? It's not polite to mumble like that." Jaxon sneered.

"I said, you'll pay!" Penelope snarled and launched herself viciously at the thief, aiming her sword straight for his chest. A fire burned in her eyes but tears were streaming down her cheeks. The sound of metal clashing filled the air as he blocked her attack with his blade. "Everyone you've hurt, every life you've taken, I'll make you pay for everything!"

Jaxon laughed at her words and slipped away from her blade. "Ooh feisty." He grinned coldly as he slipped past her defense just enough to land a blow to her arm. "Unfortunately that's not going to work though I'm a thief. We don't pay, we take."

Penelope clenched her teeth together as she felt her arm burn with pain from the fresh cut on it. However, it wasn't enough to slow the knight down. She intended to follow through with her words to him and being slowed down by minor injuries would only get in the way. Her green eyes darted over him as she took in a sharp breath, trying to clear her head a bit. Fighting purely with her emotions wouldn't work. If she was going to beat him, she needed to be smart about every move. She didn't give him a chance to pull away from his attack and instead used it to try and slip past his defense aiming another swipe at his chest. Jaxon blinked, seeming a little caught off guard by her sudden move, but quickly blocked her attack before launching his own. 

The knight dodged his blade and aimed yet another stab at his chest. He rolled his eyes and dodged her blade then aimed at her side. The knight attempted to dodge but felt the sword nick her right side just enough to make her give a small whimper. He moved in to try and take advantage of the strike landing but she recovered quickly and aimed another attack at his chest. Jaxon caught on and gave a small laugh as he crossed his blade with hers. Using his advantage of strength and size, he pushed the blades closer to her face, forcing her to take a small step back as she trembled to keep his blade from getting any closer to her throat. 

"You know.. I thought even knights knew more than just one attack.. You're rather disappointing. You're making this too easy for me." he said clicking his tongue with mock disappointment.

"Just had to build up your confidence enough for it to backfire for you." Penelope responded with a cold smirk. "It happened sooner than I thought it would actually." As Jaxon cracked a look of confusion, she stopped pushing against his blade and ducked underneath as he swung it at her throat. Already set slightly off balance by her suddenly pulling away, Penelope swiped out one leg, hooking it behind his, and tripped the murderer to the ground. Jaxon grunted as he fell onto his back, looking dazed.  

Before he could recover, Penelope moved in and stepped on his hand that was holding his sword, making the thief let out a small cry of pain and forcing him to drop the weapon. "You're done taking." she stated icily as she raised her blade. She noticed the thief's eyes widen but before he could say or do anymore, she shifted her gaze away from his and sunk her sword into his chest. The knight felt him go limp beneath her and she removed her blade from his now lifeless body. 

Her anger died down and was replaced with panic as her gaze landed on Crow on the ground again. Without thinking, she ran towards him and dropped to her knees at his side. She was numb to the injuries she had sustained in her fight with Jaxon and had completely forgotten about Hartley. In that moment, her attention was solely on Crow. "Oh gods.. Oh gods.. why did you do that.." she whispered in a shaky breath, trembling as she saw all the blood coming from his injury. "Just.. Just hold on.. Please just hold on. I can't lose you.. I love you." Her words were quiet and weak, as began to glance around frantically as she tried to figure out what to do.