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Crow leaned into the grass with his eyes closed, panting heavily as he fought to catch his breath. Between the length of time that had passed since their last intimate encounter and Penelope’s zeal during this one, he was feeling quite dazed. As she rolled off of him to lay at his side, he turned his head to meet her gaze with an absent grin, “It really did,” he said breathily, running his hand over her arm. “Although I hope we never have to wait that long again. This is too much fun to be a monthly activity.” He pressed a teasing kiss to her nose.

As she mentioned that they shouldn’t stay for much longer, he nodded faintly in agreement. Even though he wished they could lay together in the woods all night, they couldn’t risk getting caught by her overprotective father. If John found out what they had been doing, the knight really would kill him—or think of some other twisted way to punish him for sleeping with his daughter. He shuddered at the thought, suddenly finding the strength to sit up and gather his discarded clothes.

Once he finished getting dressed, Crow yawned widely and leaned back on his palms, arching his back as he stretched out his torso. It had been so long since the last time they’d been together that he’d forgotten just how exhausted he felt when they were finished. It was difficult for him to even keep his eyes open. He shook his head, trying to rid himself of his weariness, and rubbed his eyes with one hand. Unfortunately, the feeling persisted.

“I know we need to go back soon,” he mumbled, looking up at Penelope blearily. “But we don’t need to leave this very moment, right?” He yawned again. “Let’s stay… just a little…” He didn’t even manage to finish the thought before his exhaustion suddenly overtook him and he passed out, collapsing onto his side as he fell unconscious.
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Penelope finished getting dressed and looked over at Crow as the thief seemed to be fighting against his weariness. She smiled a little and was about to tell him they needed to go but didn't get the chance as he suddenly collapsed. The knight blinked in surprise. She had known he was tired but she didn't think he had been tired enough to pass out as quickly as he had. She was about to go try to wake him up but didn't get the chance as something else caught her attention. The ground rumbled softly beneath her and a blinding light coming from the direction of the pond made her wince and turn her head away.

She struggled to remain steady on her feet as the ground shook underneath her. It was so sudden that she barely had a chance to wonder what was going on. The strangest thing was that it seemed to stop just as quickly as it started. The ground fell still and the blinding light was gone, letting the darkness of the night fall yet again. Penelope lifted her head to look over towards where the light had come from, curious of what had caused it. She had never seen a light that bright before. Was it a sharp reflection or some kind of powerful lantern? Why had the ground shaken too?

As her gaze shifted back over towards the pond, she jumped as an unknown man suddenly stood there. The knight tensed and shifted a bit closer to Crow—who she couldn't believe was still out cold after the earth shaking beneath them. As she studied this unusually tall stranger with a narrowed gaze she noticed he was dressed in lavish armor with a long white cape that fluttered in the passing breeze. He was muscular with a large sword sheathed at his hip. But, perhaps, the most alarming thing about him were his glowing eyes. They reminded her of sunlight, the way they shone bright and warm even in the dark.

"W-Who are you? What are you doing here?" she demanded nervously.

The man smirked and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Oh wow... You're still in denial after all of that? I even tried to make it easy for you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Penelope questioned warily.

The man let out a sigh as if slightly disappointed. "Here, I'll give you a clue." He suddenly unsheathed his sword—making the knight reach for the dagger in her boot—and striked a defensive pose with sunny gaze narrowing with determination. There was a familiarity that made Penelope freeze and study him. She had seen that pose before and now that she looked at him, he did look familiar. The knight felt her heart suddenly drop with a wave of both panic and shock. That was the pose of the Brerratic god Toreus, the god of resilience and prosperity. She had seen him in many alters and many prayed to him during times of hardships, she had even done so a couple times herself during sticky situations when there was nowhere else to turn to despite her beliefs that the gods kept out of mortal affairs. But surely, this wasn't him. It couldn't be... Could it?

"There's no way." she said shaking her head in disbelief.

Toreus relaxed once more and sheathed his sword. "Guess again, Penelope Vermillion." he said, his smirk returning as he watched her eyes widen as he used her name.

"E-even if you are, why would a god visit me?" Penelope stuttered. Gods visited heroes, people who had done great deeds, and perhaps the dying. But she wasn't a hero and as far she knew, she wasn't dying. Her gaze shifted to the pond behind him and she suddenly paled. If this man was Toreus, he must have been visiting her because of her sleeping with Crow on what was supposed to be holy land. "Oh gods... Is this about what we did?" Her gaze flickered to Crow and fear entered her gaze as she worried that perhaps soon he wouldn't just be sleeping. "L-look, I didn't actually think... I mean I would have never done anything if I thought it would actually offend you—"

The god raised an eyebrow at her then followed her gaze to Crow. Realizing what she was trying to say, a deep laugh erupted from him that seemed to radiate a similar warmth to his bright eyes and he shook his head. "Oh no this isn't about that." he chuckled with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I could care less about what you mortals do so long as it doesn't actually harm our pond."

Penelope felt her cheeks redden and she shifted uneasily on her feet. She still couldn't believe a god was speaking to her. She didn't want to believe it. But as she looked at his glow eyes again, she found it was nearly impossible for any other explanation. Perhaps I'm actually the one that passed out not Crow.. the knight thought with a glance towards the thief. That would make more sense.

"You're not dreaming." Toreus suddenly assured.

She blinked and shuffled her feet a bit. "Can you prove it?" she said with a hint of a challenge.

Toreus gave an amused look. "Yes but... I think I'll do so later." he mused with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Right now, there are more pressing matters to discuss." His expression turned serious which only further made the knight uneasy.

She was beginning to have trouble thinking it was just a dream. "What do you mean?" she asked tentatively, admittedly intimidated by the god before her.

"There's a war coming." he warned, his glowing eyes seeming to turn from sunlight to a forest fire as he spoke.

"There's already a war." Penelope pointed out with a frown.

Toreus shook his head. "This war will be unlike anything this kingdom has seen. Both Brerra and Younis will be be destroyed.. And that is just the start of the destruction." His gaze shifted to Crow on the ground. "Aeklora warned your companion of this when they met two years ago.. The war you face now was supposed to be stopped with the staff. But it failed." Penelope grimaced. The reminder of her failure to stop the war still managed to send a stab of guilt through her.

Toreus looked back to her, meeting her gaze as he went on, "There is still a chance for the kingdoms to be saved. When you return to the castle, you must convince the king of Brerra to end this war peacefully. It is the only way the people of Brerra and Younis will survive."

"I.. I don't understand." Penelope said nervously as she held his piercing gaze. "Why would the gods visit us to stop this? Why not just visit the rulers themselves? Surely that would be more effective. Especially if it's going to be that disastrous."

"There is no guarantee they would listen and powerful men are selfish ones. They twist the words of gods in their favor." Toreus responded. He looked down at both her and Crow and gave a small smile that seemed to hold a bit of fondness. "We'd rather put our trust in mortals we deem worthy to get such jobs done. You both are worthy with resilience even I can admire." He stood up a bit straighter. "Now then, you will do as I say, correct? The fate of Brerra and Younis depends upon it."

Penelope stared at him, a bit dumbfounded by the god's praise. She took a moment to recover from her shock before quickly nodding her head. "I'll do my best." she said quickly.

"Good." Toreus mused approvingly. "I'll take my leave then. It was good to finally meet you, Penelope Vermillion." He took a step back towards the pond then paused to look over his shoulder at her with a smirk. "You have been resilient so now let me offer you a small reward for it." He winked and the blinding light reappeared, making Penelope wince and turn away yet again.

In a flash, it disappeared and as she turned back to look the mighty god was gone and instead a woman stood near the edge of the pond. Penelope blinked in confusion. He had mentioned a reward not another visit.. Was she a goddess? The knight studied her for a brief moment. She had long, wavy brown hair with warm dark brown eyes. Her dress was a simple peasant dress and she appeared to be only a few years older than Penelope herself. While pretty, she certainly didn't look like a goddess. In fact, she just look like a peasant woman.

"Oh...my sweet girl." the woman cupped her hands over her mouth as her voice cracked with emotion. Tears formed in her big brown eyes and Penelope stared at her with confusion. The woman moved towards her and Penelope took a small step back, still unsure what was going on. Though as she got closer, she realized that the woman was slightly transparent.

"Who-Who are you?" she asked.

The woman stopped and opened her mouth to reply. However, her words fell short as her gaze shifted past Penelope onto something else that made her smile even more joyfully. "John. You're here."

Penelope froze and turned her head to see her father standing at the edge of the clearing. She was expecting him to be furious but instead found that he was staring at the woman with shock. "L-Lilliana?" he choked out in a voice so weak Penelope could barely believe it came from the stoic man. As the woman nodded her head, he suddenly charged forward, throwing his arms around her in a tight hug that she didn't hesitate to return.

"You know most would question their dead lover suddenly popping up a bit more." Lilliana giggled through the tears that streamed down her cheeks.

"I don't care. I'd recognize you anywhere, Lily." John choked out as tears began to stream down his cheeks as well. "Plus it helps that you haven't aged a day. How are you even here? Are we dead?"

"Far from it. The gods let me visit." Lillianna grinned.

Penelope stood to the side, watching them with shock. In all her years, she had never once seen her dad so emotional. In fact, she couldn't even recall ever seeing him cry before. Her gaze lingered on Lilliana as she mentioned being her father's lover and it quickly clicked who this strange woman was. Her began to beat with a mixture of excitement as well as nervousness. The knight took a small step towards her parents, both of them for the first time. "M-Mother?" she asked timidly.

John reluctantly let her go as she turned to address Penelope. "Yes.. Oh Penelope, come here." Lilliana smiled and suddenly wrapped her up in a tight embrace that was warm with love. A different kind of love that Penelope hadn't ever known before. A mother's love. Penelope's lip quivered and she buried her head into Lilliana's shoulder as she let out a couple quiet sobs, overwhelmed with the emotion of meeting the woman she had heard so little about.

"I-I can't believe it's you... I-I never thought I'd get to meet you." Penelope whimpered as she felt her mother rub her hand over her back comfortingly.

"I never thought I'd get to hold you again." Lilliana said with a soft chuckle as she pulled back to study Penelope's gaze. "My sweet little girl.. You're so strong and beautiful.. I couldn't be more proud of you." She touched a kiss to Penelope's forehead and then looked over at John, who was watching them with a soft gaze. Her mother frowned at him. "I wish I hadn't become such a painful memory to you, dear." she lowered her gaze to the ground. "To even keep me a secret from our own daughter...It was torture watching her grow up not even knowing who I was."

John lowered his gaze ashamedly. "I'm so sorry." he mumbled. "At first I was just trying to protect her from my family and then I-I just couldn't bring myself to tell her... I missed you so much Lily. I'm sorry I failed you so badly."

"You did." Lilliana scolded with a hint of hurt in her gaze. She let go of Penelope with one arm and reached to grab John's hand, pulling him closer to them. "And you can start fixing it after I leave by telling her about me. About us."

"After you leave?" John frowned.

"I'm not really here John." Lilliana smiled sadly. "The gods only granted me a short time with you before I eventually fade and go back to the heavens.." She squeezed his hand comfortingly. Her gaze shifted past him, landing on the still sleeping Crow. "And one more thing.. Stop giving Madeleine's son such a hard time. It's driving us both nuts."

John stiffened slightly and glanced at Crow. Lilliana let out a sigh, seeing his reluctance. "I know he's a thief and Albin's son but they do love each other dear and he's nothing like his father... And if you're not careful, you're going to lose Penelope. Surely you can understand. You left your family to be with me." she smirked at him teasingly. "Please John, it's painful watching you turn into a mean old man like your father."

Penelope blinked a little surprised to hear her mother approve of her relationship with Crow. It was the first time anyone had approved of them being together. Though more surprising then that was that it sounded like Lilliana knew Crow's mother, it made her curious but she was more interested in seeing how her father would react to her mother pushing him to back off. She looked over at him, surprised as the strict older man grimaced at being compared to his father before his gaze shifted to look at Penelope. He frowned and reached to place a hand on her shoulder, as if actually afraid to lose her. The man was normally so stoic that Penelope would have never guessed he'd be afraid of losing her. If anything she thought he'd only be furious with her for leaving.

"Alright.." He conceded softly. "I'll give him a chance.."

"Good." Lilliana smiled and pulled him into their embrace. For a moment, the three stood there, tightly holding each other close. No one seemed to want to move, all overcome with emotion. It all felt so warm to the knight, like what a proper family should feel like. Her father was so different with her mother around. It made her think of how life would have been if her mother had lived. Family would have meant much more to her if she had grown up with such love rather than resentment of who her mother was.

The peaceful moment eventually reached its end as her mother began to fade. They could no longer feel her touch and she was growing fainter by the second. Penelope frowned. "I don't want to say goodbye yet.. I just met you." she sniffled.

"I know dear but we'll meet again." Lilliana assured with a tearful smile. "But until then, live your life to the fullest and don't get hung up on the past." Her gaze shifted to John and she reached up to caress his cheek, only for her hand to fade through his face as she did. "Please tell her everything.. And trust the boy. Promise me."

"I promise.." John said in a weak voice.

"Good." she gave a warm smile. "I love you both and I'll always be watching over you."

With that, she faded from sight, leaving behind her family. Penelope trembled and dropped down to her knees, feeling overwhelmed with everything that had happened. She wiped tears from her eyes and stared at the pond in front of her. "That was real right? I-It wasn't a dream?"

"I don't think so... I hope not." John muttered as he tried to reign in his emotions. He looked down at his daughter and placed a hand on her shoulder. The two Vermillions fell into a silence as they stared at the pond, both trying to reign in their emotions before they'd have to move.
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Crow’s eyes fluttered slowly open as he awoke, dazed and disoriented in the grass. He shifted groggily, trying to remember where he was and when he had even fallen asleep. From the little that he could remember, he and Penelope had snuck out of the inn after John had passed out to visit the Gods’ Mirror pond, they’d slept together, and then they’d gotten ready to go back to their room for the night. Everything else was a blur, and he couldn’t recall falling asleep at all.

Suddenly aware that Penelope was no longer beside him, Crow sat up to look for her. However, knowing that she would never have left him while he was unconscious, he was in no rush to find her and took another moment to try and wake up a bit more. He ran a hand through his hair and stretched as he finally let his weary gaze wander over the clearing, expecting to see the knight sitting somewhere close by while he’d been sleeping. Instead, he stiffened in surprise when his eyes landed on her. She was nearby, but she wasn’t alone.

What is he doing here? Crow thought with a rush of panic as he gaped at John. When had the older knight woken up? And how had he possibly found them out in the middle of the woods? The thief’s mind reeled as he tried to comprehend what was going on. He was worried about what Penelope’s father was going to do now that he’d caught them together, but even more so than that, he was worried that the man may have already done something to her. It was hard to tell for sure from a distance, but he was almost certain that he could see a faint glimmer of tears on Penelope’s cheeks.

Feeling a flash of protectiveness, he scrambled to his feet and ran quickly over to her side. When he reached her, he immediately dropped to his knees and rested his hands on her shoulders, no longer caring about keeping any space between them for her father’s sake. After all, John had already caught them for sneaking out together. What more could he possibly punish them for? So, ignoring the older knight, he studied her face with a concerned expression. Now up close, he was sure of it—she had been crying.

Anger pulsed through him as he realized that her father must have done something to her. He turned with a cold glare towards the other man, ready to defend her against whatever John had said or done, but then faltered as he saw wetness glistening on the older knight’s cheeks as well. In the next moment, confusion flooded his features in place of rage as he looked between the two Vermillions. No matter how hard he wracked his brain, he couldn’t understand why they both looked like they had been crying together. All he knew was that he needed to make sure Penelope was safe and alright.

“What’s going on here?” Crow asked warily, still unwilling to let his guard down around John. He leaned a little closer to Penelope out of protectiveness, eyeing her father with an uncertain expression. “How did you find us here, and why is she crying?”
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A faint noise of movement came from nearby and she turned her head slightly just in time to see Crow rush over to her. She leaned her head into his chest as he kneeled down next to her and put his hands on her shoulders. Penelope was still reeling from everything she had just gone through, from the god's visit to meeting her mother it all seemed so unreal. Yet it must have been. Her father had seen her mother too so surely it hadn't just been a dream. She let out a shaky sigh and pressed a bit closer to him, finding comfort in his touch.

As he questioned John, the older knight shifted a bit as he looked down at them. He was still uneasy with them together but he at least didn't seem hostile anymore. "You two were gone when I woke up and then there was a flash of light from this direction so I decided to check it out. And once I got here.." he trailed off and shifted his gaze to the pond, letting out a soft sigh.

Penelope pulled back from Crow slightly to met his gaze. "You're not going to believe it. Or maybe you will because Aeklora visited. I don't know.. I can barely believe it." she shook her head. "After you passed out, the god, Toreus visited me. He said I have to convince the king to end this war with Younis peacefully otherwise there will be a worse war." The knight frowned a little as she recalled how he had spoken of the destruction of both kingdoms. Thinking about it now, it made her shudder knowing so much was at risk if she failed.

"But that's not all." she went on, deciding not to focus on that part at the moment. Penelope grew teary eyed again and she smiled at Crow. "After he left... He let my mother visit. I got to see her. We got to see her." she explained with a glance towards her father. John gave a small nod with a soft expression taking over his features as he shifted his gaze over to the pond.
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“A flash… of light?” Crow repeated confusedly when John answered his question. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that. He had no idea what the knight was talking about. Sure, he’d fallen asleep for a while, but he wasn’t a heavy sleeper by any means. If something like that had really happened, then he would have woken up… right? He shifted his weight slightly, suddenly unsure. Though he still didn’t understand what was going on, something definitely seemed off. He should have at least woken up when Penelope’s father had appeared. Was it really possible that he’d slept through more than just that? The realization made him swallow nervously.

As Penelope pulled back from him to meet his gaze, he stared at her in astonishment as she hurriedly began to explain everything he’d missed. To say that he was shocked by the information was an understatement. The thief blinked as she talked about how the Brerratic god, Toreus, had visited her and given the exact same warning that Aeklora had said to him two years ago. Somehow, knowing that the goddess’s prophecy about the destruction of the kingdoms was still in effect after all this time sent an ominous shiver up his spine. He’d been hoping that even though the staff had never made it to the former king of Brerra, enough had changed that they would be alright now, but apparently, things were worse than he’d even imagined.

Just when he’d thought she was finished, Crow’s eyes widened as Penelope continued on to say that her mother had appeared to both her and her father after Toreus had left. He didn’t know what to think about that. A mixture of emotions filled him: Joy that she had been able to meet her mother after all this time, bewilderment about why the Brerratic god would have granted her the opportunity, and even a little jealousy that Aeklora hadn’t given him the same chance to speak with his mother two years ago. Overall though, he simply felt overwhelmed by everything she had just told him at once.

“That… That’s great,” he said, stumbling slightly over his words as he tried to process it all. Shaking his head, he ran his hand through his hair again. “Gods, how did I sleep through all that?” he mused with a frown. Suddenly, he wondered if his spontaneous exhaustion hadn’t been a coincidence. Did Toreus do it? he thought, glancing over his shoulder at the glassy pond. It made some sense. After all, Aeklora had spoken to him alone when she’d visited. Perhaps this god had wanted to speak to Penelope one on one too. Still, he wished he hadn’t been knocked out. Communing with the gods was a unique experience, and he would have liked to get a second opportunity to do it.

Meeting Penelope’s gaze again, the thief gently ran one hand over her back. “Do you think we should go back to the inn?” he asked softly. “It sounds like you’ve had a crazy night.”
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Penelope gave a small shrug as Crow questioned how he could have slept through everything. The knight hadn't thought about it much with everything going on but she supposed that the god likely played a hand in Crow sleeping through everything. She didn't understand why, especially since they had visited Crow once before with a similar warning about danger. However, there were a lot of things she didn't understand about the gods—like why they had even deemed her worthy enough to talk to—so she supposed it would remain a mystery.

At his question she gave a small nod. "It's probably better than staying out here all night." she admitted. The knight wasn't sure if she'd be able to sleep with how overwhelmed she felt but getting away from the pond and back into the privacy of their room at least sounded like a good idea. Penelope slowly got back up to her feet, offering Crow her hand once she was back up. Her gaze shifted away from him to look over at her father.

John watched the pond for a moment longer before looking over at them. He studied Crow for a moment with uncertainty in his gaze before looking at Penelope and nodding his head in agreement. "We still have a ways of traveling to go before we reach the castle tomorrow so it's best we get some rest... It's already getting rather late." he mused with a glance up at the night sky. He turned and began to lead the way back towards the inn.

Penelope kept close to Crow as she followed after him. She watched her father, glad to see that he seemed to have taken her mother's words about Crow to heart. Though he seemed a bit uncomfortable with them being so close, he at least didn't make any attempts to separate them. She blinked as another thought came to mind and she turned to Crow with a curious look. "By the way.. your mother's name is Madeleine right? My mother mentioned her.. It sounded as if she knew her."
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Crow nodded when Penelope agreed with him that they should go back to the inn. After everything that had happened, he wanted to lay down, and he didn’t doubt that she felt similarly, since she was the one who had come face to face with a god that night. Honestly, if his encounter with Aeklora two years ago hadn’t been right in the middle of a fast-paced palace raid, he probably would have been much more freaked out. He was a bit impressed that Penelope was as outwardly calm about it all as she was.

When Penelope rose to her feet, Crow stood up beside her, staying close so that he could take her hand when she reached for his. Standing so close to her father, the thief’s eyes flicked warily towards the older man, and he remained tense, unsure if he was still going to force them to separate in spite of everything that had happened. With Penelope shaken up, he wasn’t going to be as willing to distance himself from her as he usually was when her father intervened. However, to his surprise, John didn’t say anything about it.

As the older knight merely said that it was getting late, Crow stared at him in unbridled surprise. Perhaps it was just because he was shaken up from encountering his dead lover, but he was acting much more tamed than usual. Whatever the case, it was a pleasant change, so the thief didn’t say anything about it. After all, he didn’t want to risk letting his tongue slip and saying something to set John off again. So, keeping close to Penelope’s side, he followed after the knight in silence as the other man led the way back to the inn.

“By the way… your mother’s name is Madeleine, right?”

Crow’s breath caught in his throat at the mention of his mother, and he whirled on Penelope in shock. As far as he could remember, he’d never told her his mother’s name before. Why would her mother mention his? How did she even know her name? His heart began to race as dozens of questions rose up inside of him. It was difficult to keep his thoughts straight, but after a moment, he cleared his head enough to speak.

“Yes, that’s her name,” he said hurriedly, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. “Your mother knew her? What did she say? Did she tell you anything else?” His grip on her hand tightened slightly in his urgency, and he held her gaze with widened eyes as he waited for her to tell him what she knew.
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Penelope watched as Crow grew excited at the mention of his mother. She gave a small shake of her head as he bombarded her with questions. "She just.. mentioned her briefly when she was telling my father to stop giving you a hard time." she told him, her gaze flickering up to the stars above, studying them with newfound curiosity. "It sounded like they've been watching us... and that she was worried. I don't know anything else though."

The knight pursed her lips together and looked ahead at her father, who had grown a bit tense as he listened to their conversation. She studied his back for a moment and narrowed her eyes slightly. "Father, you know something about them, don't you? You didn't even question who she was when mother mentioned her." she said. At first she had just thought that the two perhaps bumped into each other while they had been watching over their children but now that she thought about it, it seemed like her father had known Madeleine.

John looked over his shoulder at the two and let out a long exhale. "I do." he admitted in a quiet voice. His gaze flickered to the ground, hesitant to explain. "..The night I met your mother,Penelope, I happened to be visiting the outer villages on a mission. She was with Madeleine at a tavern that we stopped at.. I never knew Madeleine very well, we met a couple times I believe, but she was a close friend of your mother. And I don't think even death changed that."
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Crow frowned disappointedly when Penelope said that her mother had just mentioned Madeleine’s name. He’d been hoping to hear a little more about his mother than that. After going longer than a decade without her warm presence by his side, the prospect of hearing about how she was faring in the afterlife had been exciting. Still, even though Penelope didn’t know much else, he supposed it was still nice to find out that she had been looking after him all this time. The thought brought a faint smile to his lips. He wondered what she thought of him now, fully grown and making a living for himself as a thief. Was she proud of the man he’d become? He knew she wouldn’t have condemned him for his decision to continue stealing, since she was the one who had taught him to begin with.

He was drawn from his thoughts as he heard Penelope speak up to question her father. Her words made him raise a brow in surprise, and he turned to look at John with interest. He never would have guessed that the older knight knew his mother, but now that he thought about it again, it made a strange amount of sense. John knew the thief was related to Albin somehow, and he had also been in love with a peasant woman who had apparently been close friends with his own mother. It wasn’t that far of a stretch to guess that John and Madeleine had crossed paths long ago.

When John confirmed that he had in fact met Crow’s mother before, the thief listened curiously. He wondered if the night Penelope’s father was speaking about was the same night when Madeleine and Albin had had their fling. His mother didn’t often speak of their brief time together, since she never liked to talk about Albin in general, but he recalled that she’d mentioned meeting his father in a tavern. It felt strange to hear about the incident from someone else’s mouth.

“What was your mother’s name?” he asked suddenly, turning to Penelope with newfound intrigue. Perhaps if the two women really had been as close as John claimed, his mother may have told him about her before.

“Lilliana,” John answered first in a soft voice.

“No way,” Crow’s eyes widened in recognition. “I’ve heard of her before.” It was faint, but he vaguely remembered his mother telling him about a friend she’d had before he’d been born who had gone by the same name. Turning back to Penelope, he shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe our mothers were from the same village. What are the odds of that?”
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Penelope listened as her father explained that their mothers had been friends. At first she was surprised to learn that the two had known each other but as she thought it over more, the less it began to surprise her. That likely explained how John had even known about Albin being Crow's father and why Albin had chosen to send him out of everyone. John had known this information for years but had kept his mouth shut, of course Albin would use him to track down his son.

This new information began to to make her feel trapped. It sounded like the gods had already carved out a narrow path for her and Crow since before they had even been born. Was every difficulty they had faced in their life just a way of training them up for these tasks they needed to be complete? Toreus had been generally kind to her, even expressing some fondness. But, perhaps, that fondness was the same kind of fondness a rider would show their horse. The thought sent a shiver down her spine. Perhaps having the favor of the gods also meant being their puppets.

As Crow turned to her again, the knight just numbly nodded her head as she felt herself starting to get overwhelmed. The knight suddenly felt trapped. She had once thought the gods didn't meddle in mortal affairs but with that theory broken, it felt like any choice she had made or was going to make was out of her control. Penelope looked over at Crow and frowned slightly as a new thought came to mind. All this time she had thought he was her choice, the one she decided to be with despite what her family and others would think, but was he really? Now it just seemed that the gods had chosen him for her long ago. Perhaps he wasn't her choice. Perhaps, he was theirs.

Before she even realized what she was doing, she let go of his hand and shifted away from him slightly. Penelope blinked and looked up at hm before shifting her gaze away. "Sorry.." she mumbled, unsure what else to say.

John eyed his daughter for a moment before focusing his gaze ahead towards the inn. "I'll explain more tomorrow...Right now, I think we could all use some rest."
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Crow studied Penelope with a concerned expression when she just nodded in response to his observation. He had thought she would find the news just as interesting as he did, but instead, it seemed to have struck some sort of raw nerve in her. He wondered why. In his mind, the knowledge that both sets of their parents had known each other before was fascinating. All their lives, they had been so close to each other, yet so far. However, it seemed to be a good thing that they had taken two decades to meet.

When she was younger, she had been training to become a knight of Brerra, while he had been raiding the nobles of the kingdom. If they had ever crossed paths before their mission to Younis, they would have ended up fighting—maybe not in the literal sense of the word, since he didn’t know how to fight very well back then, but they certainly wouldn’t have gotten along. Every big incident in their lives had drawn them together at exactly the right moment, from his arrest to the previous king’s mission and even to the war that had brought them back into each other’s lives yet again.

And now, after all that, they had both been approached at separate times by the gods of two kingdoms. It was hard to deny that it seemed like their lives had been sculpted to fulfill some greater purpose. The thought made him feel both nervous and excited. It reminded him of the tales he had been told by the people of the outer villages about the heroes of old. Part of him was worried about what that would mean for the rest of their lives, since the men and women from those stories never really got to ‘settle down’ the way that he and Penelope wanted to, but another part of him was eager to see where the fates were going to take them next, because it was surely going to be exciting.

Suddenly, Crow was pulled from his fantasizing when he felt Penelope’s hand slip out of his. He turned to her in surprise, unsure why she was putting distance between them. She had just met a god and seen her dead mother for the first time. Of course, that had to have been overwhelming, but it had been a good thing, right? She had seemed happy enough when she’d been telling him about it earlier. He wondered what had changed to make her look so melancholic.

The thief glanced briefly at John as the older knight spoke up and then turned to look at Penelope again. “Hey, are you alright?” he asked softly, reaching out to rest a tentative hand on her back. “Did something else happen that you haven’t told me about?”
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Penelope tensed slightly as she felt Crow place his hand on her back. His touch was normally comforting but with her thoughts and beliefs such a mess, she couldn't relax. The knight glanced over at him, a bit surprised at how well he was taking in all of this information. Was he not bothered by how much their fate had been tampered with? Or had he just not considered it yet? Either way, she wanted to talk to him about it.

"Nothing else happened, it's just.." the knight paused, glancing towards her father. She slowed her pace to put some distance from him so he wouldn't over hear her as she spoke. The only person she wanted to open up to this about was the man who was in a similar situation as her. "Everything's been decided for us, hasn't it? Our fates have been intertwined since the very beginning and the gods have had a plan for us this whole time.. Every choice I thought I made, was never mine to begin with." Penelope lowered her voice and shook her head looking rather distressed as she admitted what she was thinking about to him.

"Everything that's happened to us, every tragedy, every challenge we've face, it was all just them shaping us into useful tools. It's no different than how someone trains a horse." A small hint of bitterness edged into her voice as she spoke about it outloud. She shook her head and turned to him with a frown. The knight paused and shifted her gaze away from him, finding it difficult to meet his gaze as she went on in a weak voice, "I mean, do we really love each other? The gods clearly planned to force us together since the beginning, who's to say these feelings are truly us and not just them meddling in our lives again?"
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Crow listened quietly as Penelope explained why she was feeling so distraught. He was a bit surprised to find out that the same conclusion he’d found so intriguing was causing her so much stress. Sure, if the gods had some sort of elaborate plan for their lives, then that might mean they didn’t have control over every little thing that happened to them, but he fully believed that they were still in charge of the outcome of every situation they were put into. After all, they weren’t puppets. Their decisions were still theirs to make, regardless of what the gods threw at them. He wanted to help her understand that

Casting a brief glance at John to make sure he wasn’t looking, Crow took Penelope by the wrist and pulled her to a stop. For a moment, he simply stood, holding her gaze as he studied her worried green eyes, before he stepped forward to wrap his arms around her in an embrace. “We’re not the gods’ pets,” he said quietly, leaning his head against hers as he tried to reassure her. “If you want proof of that, just look at what’s happened so far. If the gods were really controlling us as you say they are, then wouldn’t our mission in Younis have been a success? They clearly didn’t want this war to happen, yet here we are.”

He pulled back to brush a strand of her hair out of her face and offered her a soft smile. “Our shortcomings are what make us human, but they’re also proof that we’re free to make our own decisions. If the gods were really masterminding our every move, we would never mess up, and everything would go exactly according to their plans. Obviously, that isn’t the case, since they seem to feel the need to speak with us in person to convince us to do what they want instead of orchestrate it all from the heavens.

“And as for our feelings for each other…” he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and grinned at her fondly. “I don’t think the gods had anything to do with that either. Sure, maybe they arranged for us to meet and even work together, but we fell in love all on our own. So, don’t worry about being someone else’s horse. Whatever the gods may have planned for our lives doesn’t matter, because we’re still in control of our own decisions. We can handle anything they throw at us, because we’re a team, and we have final say over our own lives.” He caressed her cheek affectionately and leaned in to press a long kiss to her lips.

When he pulled back again, he winked at her playfully, “Besides, you know me, love. I don’t play by anyone’s rules. If you decide you don’t want to do what the gods want, I’ll fight back against them right alongside you.”
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Penelope wrapped her arms around him as he pulled her into an embrace. She fell silent as she listened to him reassure her that the gods weren't controlling them as she thought. The knight shifted slightly, unsure if she trusted his words at first. Afterall, just because they had failed didn't mean they hadn't been controlled in her opinion. But perhaps, they didn't meddle as much as she was originally thinking. As he pointed out the gods feeling the need to speak with them, she gave a small nod as he brought up the valid point. His words eased the knight slightly. If they felt the need to speak with them, then their choices must matter quite a bit.

She met his lips halfway as he leaned in to kiss her, placing her hand over his as he caressed her cheek. As he pulled back, she gave him a small, halfhearted smile at his playful wink. "Thank you... I needed to hear that." she mused softly. Penelope relaxed a little and leaned up to press an affectionate kiss to his cheek, holding him a little closer. She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment and let out a soft sigh. "I don't think I'm going to be fighting the gods on this one though...It sounds like too much is at stake."

The thought of Toreus' warning made the knight shudder. For both kingdoms to be at risk of destruction, whatever trouble was on the horizon must be a dangerous foe. She'd have to figure out a way to convince the king to seek a peaceful end to this war since it sounded like anything else would mean destruction. Penelope pressed a little closer to Crow, taking comfort in his warm embrace before finally letting him go and taking a step back so they could continue to the inn.. "Which means we better get some sleep since we have a castle to get to." she murmured, reaching to take his hand.
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Crow smiled as Penelope thanked him. He was glad that his words had helped ease her worries. After all, it seemed like an honor that the gods had chosen them of all people to fulfill their plans to save the kingdoms of Brerra and Younis. He didn’t want her to be constantly fretting about losing control over her life, when what they were really doing was voluntarily accepting a task from a higher power like she would do with her barons or the king. Granted, this task had some serious repercussions to it if they failed, but it wasn’t very different in any other way.

Besides, if they succeeded, there would be even better benefits: The kingdom would be saved, a war of monumental scale would be prevented, and they could finally be together to have the life they’d been dreaming about. Just thinking about it made him feel giddy with excitement. If anything, the gods’ trust in them allowed them to have even more control over their lives. Instead of waiting around for the war with Younis to play out, he and Penelope could work from the inside of the castle to turn everything in their favor. They could have an active role in the fate of the kingdoms. If that wasn’t control, he didn’t know what was.

As Penelope said that she didn’t think she would be fighting against the gods’ request of her, Crow nodded. “Alright, then I’ll be right beside you when you confront the king,” he assured her confidently, bringing his hand up to run his fingers through her hair. “Maybe I could even use whatever he wants from me as leverage to get him to listen.” It was an interesting thought, but he wasn’t sure how well it would work out in practice. If Albin was as conniving as he was—which was likely the case, since his mother had been an honest woman, and he didn’t know where else he could have gotten his skills for deceiving people—he was going to have his work cut out for him.

When Penelope pulled back from his arms, he laced his fingers with hers and followed after John again. “Yeah,” he murmured in agreement. “I have a feeling that tomorrow is going to be a long day…”

--

When they got back to the inn, Crow was reluctant to part with Penelope. After everything that had happened that night along with his nervousness about confronting his father the following day, he longed to sleep with her by his side again. However, with John in the room as them, he was too uncomfortable to suggest the idea. Even though the older knight seemed to be more tolerant of him now, he didn’t want to brazenly share a bed with the man’s daughter while they were right next to each other. He wasn’t that cocky.

Deciding to return the respect that John had begun to show to him, the thief chose to press a tired kiss to her cheek and murmured a quick ‘goodnight’ to her before he settled down on his bed alone. It took a while for him to fall asleep, since his mind was so wound up with anxiety about meeting with the king, but eventually, he managed to drift off into a light and somewhat fitful slumber.
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Penelope nodded her head at his words. She wasn't sure how welling the meeting with his father would go so it was difficult to say if he could really help her convince the king to end the war. It likely wouldn't be wise for her to depend too much on that so she'd have to start figuring out how she was going to put forth an argument on her own. The knight already began thinking over various points to make as she walked alongside the thief back to the inn.

As they returned to the room, Penelope felt a hint of disappointment that Crow couldn't sleep besides her. After everything that had happened, she wanted to lay next to him. However, she knew it was best not to push her father. Even if he seemed to be taking her mother's words seriously, she also didn't want to make him change his mind. So she merely offered a quiet 'good night' to Crow as he kissed her cheek before moving to lay down in her bed. Sleep didn't come easy as her mind kept replaying everything that had happened as well as fretting over what was to come.

---

At some point in the night, she must have fallen asleep, though she couldn't quite remember when. As she stirred, she stretched out her limbs, feeling a bit stiff, and sat up on her bed. She looked over to see that her father was up and was quietly sitting on the edge of his bed enjoying a small breakfast. The knight was a bit surprised that he hadn't woken them up himself but perhaps that was because of how late they were out the night before.

Penelope met his gaze and shifted slightly, suddenly wondering if all of that had really happened. "Last night... we saw my mother right?" she asked in soft voice. John looked over at her and gave a small nod of his head. He slowly stood up and stepped over to Penelope, placing his hand comfortingly on top of her head.

"Yes. It wasn't a dream." he assured. He gave her hair a small ruffle before taking a step back. "We should start getting ready to go soon... We're almost to the castle." John turned and moved to grab his things. "Make sure he's up." he muttered with a nod in the direction of Crow.

She studied her father for a moment before nodding her head. The knight swung her legs to the edge of her bed and got up, running a hand to smooth down her ruffled hair before she stepped over to Crow's bed. Penelope glanced over her shoulder at John, who had his back to them, before smiling softly at Crow and leaning down to press a kiss to his cheek. "Time to go." she murmured.
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The next morning, Crow woke early, unable to sleep any longer as his stress about meeting his father continued to build up inside of him. However, even though he couldn’t fall back asleep, he also didn’t feel like getting up, so instead, he laid still, staring absently at the wall beside his bed. His mind was full of thoughts and worries about what was going to happen when he finally came face to face with the man who had abandoned his family. He didn’t know what to say to Albin nor what he should expect Albin to say to him. After all, this was his first time meeting the king. Everything was uncertain.

He wasn’t sure how much time passed, but eventually he heard one of the knights get up, followed a little later by the other. Still, he wasn’t in the mood to get up and greet either of them while his stomach was churning with apprehension, so he just closed his eyes in the hopes that they would assume he was asleep and let him lay in bed a little longer. Of course, that hope didn’t last very long. In the next moment, he could hear the sound of quiet talking followed shortly by creaking floorboards as someone approached him.

To his relief, it was Penelope, and not John, who had come to get him up this time. The thief opened his eyes and looked up at her for a moment before glancing at John, who seemed to be avoiding looking in their direction as he packed up his things. Suddenly longing to take comfort in her touch, he reached up to wrap his arms around her and pulled her down against himself in a tight embrace, burying his head against her neck. “Sorry,” he murmured, realizing that his abrupt actions might have taken her off guard. However, he didn’t move right away, lingering close to her instead as he tried to calm his worries.

After a short time had passed, Crow finally let go of her again and moved to sit up on the bed. He lowered his gaze to the blanket on his lap, fidgeting slightly with the fabric. “Do we have to go now?” he asked hesitantly. “Maybe we should get breakfast first… and also stop for lunch. I mean we don’t even need to reach the castle today, do we?”
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Penelope blinked as Crow suddenly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace. The action caught her off guard for a moment but she quickly relaxed in his arms and moved to rest hers around him. "It's alright." she told him in a soft voice. For a brief moment, she wondered what had gotten into him but her confusion was soon put to rest as he let her go and sat up, clearly nervous about reaching the castle.

She moved to sit down besides him on the edge of the bed. "Crow, you can only put it off for so long if you're planning to face him... Especially since we're so close." Penelope gently rubbed her hand over his back. In all honesty, she was quite nervous as well, though likely for different reasons. She worried what the king wanted with him to begin with and was concerned about having to convince the man to back down from the war. The knight sighed and pressed closer to him, pressing a long kiss to his cheek.

As she pulled back, Penelope rested her head against his. "Besides that, I think it's better to get it over with quick rather than letting it eat at you... That's why you chose to hear what he had to say in the first place, right?" she mused in a quiet voice.

"If it's any consolation, I think your father's just looking for your silence." John mused as he turned over to them. He shifted a bit uncomfortably at seeing them together but said nothing on the matter as he focused on Crow. "At least, that's what I'm assuming. He didn't tell me his plans but he made it clear that it has something to do with your relation to him."
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Crow bit his lip uncomfortably as Penelope reminded him that he couldn’t put off the meeting forever. He knew she was right, but that didn’t change the fact that he was nervous to go through with facing his father at all. Part of him wondered if he was making a mistake by accepting Albin’s invitation. After all, he’d gone twenty-three years without talking to the man, so surely he could last longer, right? He should never have agreed to come to the inner kingdom.

As she went on to say that he should get the meeting over with, he said nothing. His brain told him that he should listen to her, but his heart was still wrought with anxiety. Yes, he had accepted the king’s offer because he knew it was just going to eat at him if he didn’t, but wouldn’t that be better than the alternative: standing before the man he despised most in the kingdom? Now that he was so close to the castle, running was starting to sound like the best option. There was still time for him to get away if he left now. He could just go back to the outer villages and pretend like the trip to the inner kingdom had never happened…

“If it’s any consolation, I think your father’s just looking for your silence.”

Crow blinked and looked up at John, surprised to hear the stoic man offer him any words of comfort. Of course, it didn’t do much, since his worries stemmed from the thought of facing Albin in the first place, but he appreciated the gesture. His eyes wandered back to Penelope, and he reached to take her hand in his. For a moment, he focused on her touch—the feeling of her fingers intertwined with his and her hand running soothingly over his back—and took a calming breath. As much as he wanted to run, he couldn’t back out now. They’d already come all this way, and she had even found a way to come with him. With her stabilizing presence by his side, he could speak with his father.

“Thanks,” he murmured, looking up at the knights with a halfhearted smile. As his gaze fell on Penelope again, he leaned over to press a quick kiss to her lips. “I think I’m ready… Or at least, ready as I can be.”

Before he could lose his nerve again, the thief climbed down from his bed and gathered his belongings in preparation to leave. Once he was ready, he joined the others at the door and took another deep breath, “Let’s get this over with.”
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Penelope looked over at Crow and gave his hand a soft squeeze as he took her hand in his. She gave him a small smile as he thanked them and leaned in to meet him as he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "Alright." the knight nodded, glad that they seemed to be able to help him a little. As he packed his things, she moved to grab hers as well and walked over to wait with her father for Crow.

As he joined them, she moved to stand closely besides him, taking his hand in hers one more time before she eventually let go as they headed out of the inn. Though her father may have been more tolerant, it was still best for them to keep a distance from each other now that they were getting closer to the castle. There was a high risk of having someone recognizing both of them and it likely wouldn't go well if they didn't merely seem like a simple escort to the castle. Still, as they traveled, she remained nearby him, hoping that would be enough to calm his nerves for now.

The day went by with much less tension and silence than the last two days. John didn't bother hovering around her like before and instead kept at the front as he lead the way. He still hadn't mentioned anymore about her mother but Penelope didn't push yet. There were plenty of other things on her mind at the moment so she figured it could wait until another time. Perhaps after Crow had met with the king and things were settled. Instead she spent the day in Crow's company, trying to make idle chatter in hopes to keep his nerves at bay as they got closer to the castle.

The group eventually stopped for a break a little ways from the castle. It was about midday and the palace loomed in the distance. Penelope leaned back against a nearby tree and looked up at the building. She had spent a large amount of time in the castle before and usually, it was nearly like a second home to her. This was the first time returning to it made her feel a bit anxious. The knight let out a soft sigh and moved over to Crow's side, figuring it was probably much worse for the thief now that they were so close.

"How are you doing?" she asked softly as she reached for his hand. John had taken them off the main road to stop in a nearby clearing in the surrounding forest. She figured it was safe enough for her to get close to Crow as long as they kept aware of any patrols that might be wandering around nearby.
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