Crow settled down at Penelope’s side, leaving a small gap between them even though he would have liked to close the distance completely. Again, he thought of the irony of their situation; about how Naida was pushing them to be together when they secretly were very much in love. He wished they could just admit it, so they could stop skirting around each other, but until the uproar in the castle settled down and the other nobles accepted his new position among them, they would have to keep it to themselves. After all, he had no intention of dragging her name through the mud, especially since she was working so hard to gain the respect of high-ranking nobles to end the war.

When Naida mentioned that she had been hoping to see him, Crow looked up at her curiously and then down at the box she revealed to him. He leaned forward slightly with interest, trying to get a better look at it. No one had ever given him a gift like this before. Occasionally, he and the other thieves would steal things and pass them off to whomever they thought would appreciate them the most—as he had done with the gold bracelet that he had given to Alistair—but this was an actual gift, neatly and intentionally packaged in a small box. He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, suddenly feeling a bit bashful that they had gone out of their way to do something like this for him on their trip.

As the two noblewomen spoke with each other about who was responsible for the decision, Crow snuck a glance at Penelope. Finding out that she was the one who had picked out the gift, he was even more curious to see what it was. A smile threatened to take over his lips, and he turned away, relieved that the servants were coming back with their food at that moment. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself, since he had never been in a situation like this before, so watching his and Naida’s attendants test their breakfast gave him a little time to stall.

He turned back to his sister when she pushed the box over to him, telling him to open it. “Alright,” he let the persistent smile free as he reached out to take the package from her. Though he was eager to see what was inside, he took a moment to look over the box itself first. It was a bit of a habit he’d developed throughout his life as a thief, examining containers to guess what was hidden within. When he’d been on rushed raids, it had been a useful skill to pick out boxes filled with valuables without having to waste time opening them first. Of course, he didn’t care about the value of the gift Penelope and Naida had chosen for him. It was just hard to let go of old habits.

This particular box was thin and didn’t weight very much. If he had actually found it on a raid, it wouldn’t have been something that caught his eye. He glanced at Penelope again. Whatever she had found probably wasn’t overly valuable, but knowing that just made him more eager to find out what it was. She knows I’m not interested in expensive things, he thought with a burst of affection for the knight.

“Gods, just open it already,” Naida laughed from across the table. “With the way you’re acting, you’d think the box was the whole gift.”

“Patience,” Crow said sagely as he fingered the edge of the box. “You can learn a lot about the contents of a package if you take the time to look at it.”

“You can learn a whole lot more if you open it,” Naida snickered.

Crow rolled his eyes. “Just let me do this my way, okay?” he prodded her arm teasingly. “I find it fun to try and figure out what’s inside before I open it.”

“Then what do you think we got you?” his sister grinned challengingly.

Crow looked down at the box again and tilted it slightly to the side. “Well,” he mused. “It sounds like there are two things.” He paused, taking a moment to think before he went on. “Just based on the shape, I think one of them is… a book?” He looked up to search Naida’s gaze. She was biting her lip to suppress a smile.

“No,” he smirked. “That’s not it.” He drummed his fingers on the table, studying the box intently. He was certain that one of the objects was book-shaped, but what would the second one be…? Suddenly, a grin spread across his mouth as he had an idea.

“What?” Naida eyed him curiously. “You think you figured it out?”

“I know I did,” Crow said confidently. “It’s a writing journal and a quill, isn’t it?”

Naida gawked at him, “How did you know?”

“I’m a thief,” he winked at her slyly. “Figuring out what’s hidden inside containers like this is part of the job.” That, and he just happened to recall the journal and quill Hazel always carried with her for her work. But he chose to keep that detail to himself.

“Show off,” Naida stuck her tongue out at him.

Crow shrugged. Now finished with his guessing game, he finally opened the lid on the box and looked inside. When he did, he let out a whistle. “This is nice,” he commented as he pulled out the journal and traced his fingers over the leather cover. It was clearly well-made and had a paper smell to it that he found rather pleasant. He glanced down again and laughed amusedly when he saw the quill Penelope had chosen for him. It was made of a feather from a crow’s wing.

Lifting the quill from the box, he spun it between his fingers. “My namesake,” he grinned at the knight. “I like it.”

Penelope looked over at Crow with a hint of amusement as he studied the box carefully. She glanced over at Naida as she laughed and told him to just open it. The knight exchanged a glance with the princess and shrugged her shoulders as the viceroy insisted on figuring out what was inside the box before opening it. She took a couple bites of her food as she listened to the two, smirking a little when Crow managed to figure out what was inside the box.

She looked over to watch as the thief finally opened the box, unable to suppress a smile as he spotted the quill. "I figured it was a nice touch of past and present." the knight said returning his grin. "I'm glad you like it." Hearing a faint giggle, she turned her head to look back over at Naida and rolled her eyes as she noticed her friend grinning from ear to ear as she watched them. Penelope supposed she shouldn't have been so expressive about being excited that Crow had liked his gift, especially since it wasn't truly coming from her in the first place. She would have liked to get him something if she could have but since they were hiding their closeness, it would have been impossible.

"She did good, didn't she?" Naida smirked. "I would have never thought to get you that."

Penelope shook her head and shifted her attention back to her breakfast, taking a few more bites. Her gaze flickered to one of the windows and she let out a sigh knowing she'd have to leave soon to take her guard shift. "Well, I better get going. I've got a guard shift today." she mused.

"Me too." Naida sighed then glanced curiously at the knight. "Where did they stick you?"

"Third floor." she shrugged.

"Darn. I'm at the northwest tower today." Naida shrugged then grinned. "Maybe I'll catch you sometime after though."

"Doubt it." Penelope frowned a little as she subtly glanced at Crow. "I've got a meeting with a baron later in the evening." Seeing Naida's questioning gaze, she shrugged her shoulders. "His son approached me a couple days ago about discussing the end of the war."

"Oh well good then!" Naida grinned. "Hope the meeting goes well."

"Thanks. Me too." Penelope smiled and moved to stand up. "Guess I'll see you two around then."

“It is,” Crow agreed when Penelope commented on how the quill combined his past with his present. It was quite a thoughtful gesture, in his opinion, and he appreciated the effort she’d put into it. In the next moment, he looked up when he heard Naida giggling at them and reddened slightly. In hindsight, he supposed they should have been a bit more discreet about the gift with his sister sitting right there. He had just gotten caught up in the moment and forgot to keep up his act of being uninterested in the knight. Although, he didn’t feel that bad about the slip up. Penelope deserved to know that he was happy with the things she had chosen for him since she had gone out of her way to help the princess.

At Naida’s question, Crow hesitated for a moment before letting out a quiet, relenting sigh. His sister had already caught on to his excitement over the gift, so he supposed there was no point in pretending to be nonchalant about it. “She did,” he nodded, looking down at the quill and journal with a smile. “Udolf actually just started teaching me to read and write yesterday, so I think I’m going to be using these a lot in the coming weeks. Thank you both.”

As Penelope announced that she needed to leave for a guard shift, Crow looked up at her with a frown. He had been hoping to have a bit more time with her, but it seemed their constant busyness was going to get in the way of that yet again. However, as the two knights went on, he heard Penelope say something else that caught his attention. She’s going to be on the third floor? He took a sip of his drink to hide a smile. That was close to where his room was. His heart raced excitedly as he thought of an idea.

When the knight moved to stand up, he got up from the table too. “I’ll go with you.” Off to the side, he caught sight of Naida beaming at him excitedly, and he rolled his eyes. “If she’s working on the third floor, we’re headed in the same direction,” he explained.

“Sure,” Naida clicked her tongue at him knowingly.

Crow snorted. It didn’t matter what his sister thought, since the excuse he gave was believable enough to fool anyone else. As long as he would be able to spend more time with Penelope, the princess could make whatever assumptions she wanted.

He put the journal and quill back in the box Naida had given him to make them easier to carry and then turned back to Penelope with a shrug. “We might as well walk together so I don’t wind up following a few paces behind you,” he smirked slyly. “That would just be uncomfortable, wouldn’t it?”

Penelope looked over at Crow and bit her tongue to suppress a smile as he announced that he'd go with her. She glanced over at Naida as she noticed the princess beaming excited. Glancing over at Crow as he explained his reasoning, she gave a hapless shrug as Naida still seemed to be making assumptions. It was a reasonable excuse so the knight didn't worry too much about trying to deny whatever Naida was thinking about them walking together. She was much more excited by the fact that she'd get the extra time with him.

"It definitely would." she said returning his smirk. Glancing over her shoulder she waved goodbye ot Naida and then turned to begin their walk to the third floor. Now able to spend some more time with him, she walked a little slower than she usually would have, eager to make the most out of their still short but extended time together that day.

She opened her mouth to add something but hesitated as Crow's attendant moved to join them. Deciding it best to lower her voice slightly to avoid him over hearing her words, she added, "If we're lucky, we might get these walks together for at least the next few days." she focused her gaze ahead and smiled faintly. "Tybalt assigned me to the third floor for the next three days."

Crow bit his tongue to stifle a victorious grin as he walked out of the Great Hall with Penelope. Even though they wouldn’t have much more time together than they normally did, he was grateful for whatever they could get. I just wish we could be alone, he added silently to himself with a sideways glance at Preston, who had trotted up to join them. As long as the attendant followed him around everywhere, it was going to be hard for them to ever find time to themselves.

He turned to Penelope as she told him that she had been assigned to the third floor for the next three days. “That’ll be nice,” he murmured back to her, casting the knight a subtle smile. With a quick glance at Preston to be sure the boy wasn’t paying attention, he added in a whisper: “I’ve missed being with you. Pretending we aren’t together every day is worse than when we were meeting every few days in the outer villages.” He brushed his hand against hers as they walked, casting her a wistful look.

Suddenly, he felt someone’s eyes on him, and he turned to see that the servant was looking his way now. He clicked his tongue, discreetly putting a bit more distance between himself and the knight. With the boy so close, they couldn’t say much without raising suspicion. “Why don’t you head off early?” he suggested with a friendly grin. “I’m sure I’ll be fine the rest of the way there.” He nudged the attendant good-naturedly. “You could use the extra time to figure out which of your drawings you want to show me.”

“Are you sure it’s okay?” Preston brightened.

“Yeah, why not?” Crow shrugged. He gestured to Penelope. “I’ve got a knight for company, and I don’t need anything else from you before my lesson.”

“Alright,” Preston bowed eagerly. “Thank you.” He turned around to go back down to the servants’ quarters of the castle.

Once he was gone, Crow turned back to Penelope with a smirk, “Looks like it’s just you and me now.”

Penelope looked over at him and gave a halfhearted smile, returning his wistful look. "It is." she agreed under her breath in a quiet sigh. The knight wished she could have taken his hand in hers when she felt their hands brush. It was difficult to have him close but far from close enough on top of having to act like they had no interest in each other.

Her gaze flickered a bit cautiously over to the servant as she noticed the boy looking towards Crow. She shifted her gaze away in an attempt to act neutral about having Crow's company. However, she soon glanced back over as she listened to Crow dismissing the servant. She felt a small spark of excitement as the servant turned and walked away leaving them alone. Looking over to Crow, she returned his smirk.

"No complaints about that." she said with a smile. However it faded slightly as she looked back ahead, catching the glance of a guard they passed. Luckily most their focus seemed to be on shooting nasty looks at the viceroy rather than studying the interaction between the two. Still, she reminded herself to keep her guard up. "I just wish we were truly alone." she sighed softly.

Penelope glanced back over to him and gave a small frown. "And I missed you too. It's frustrating how little we get to see each other and having to act like I'm uninterested in you." she shook her head. "I just hope the days go by fast so we don't have to keep acting like this."

Crow glanced at the guard Penelope was eyeing and nodded in agreement when she said she wished they could be truly alone. It was frustrating how many people there were in every part of the castle. There was no way for them to find anyplace where they could get away from the unwanted stares of the knights and nobles in the palace. Even when they had tried to find some time to be intimate in his room before, they had gotten walked in on by her father. He let out his breath in a disappointed sigh. It seemed that as long as they remained unmarried, they were never going to get the privacy they wanted.

As Penelope spoke up again, Crow turned back to her and mirrored her frown. Everything she said reminded him painfully of his own inner turmoil about their situation. It sounded like she was just as upset about everything as he was. His eyes drifted down to her hand. He wished that he could at least take it in his, so he could offer her a little comfort, but with the nearby guards glaring at him so much, he doubted that he and the knight could get away with blatantly touching in front of them.

“Me too,” he smiled halfheartedly. “I almost wish something else would happen to draw everyone’s attention away from me. If the castle was attacked or some other thief tried to raid the vaults, I’m sure I would fall to the bottom of their priorities.” He shook his head. “I doubt anything like that will happen though. We’ll just have to wait until they get bored of me on their own.”

Suddenly, another thought crossed his mind, and he met the knight’s gaze with new interest. “Speaking of strange happenings, Braden mentioned something about lieutenants from the southwestern border two days ago. He said they were visiting to discuss battle strategies with the king, so it sounds like things aren’t going well on the warfront down there.” He smiled at her hopefully. “I don’t know if they’re still here, but if they are, maybe you could catch them before they go back to their battalion and find out if their barons are open to the idea of ending the war.”

Penelope nodded her head in agreement as he pointed out they'd have to wait. The knight looked over at him curiously as he brought up the different topic of visiting lieutenants. It sparked a bit of hope in the knight, especially since she didn't have much knowledge about the battalions that were located further south than her own. "I hope I can. I don't really have any connections that far out from my own battalion so it'd be great if I could get ahold of them before they leave." the knight mused eagerly.

"Thanks for telling me." she said gratefully. She paused and then let out a sigh. "I just hope they'll still be around for at least another day. I doubt I'll get the chance to visit with them today." she mumbled with a faint frown. Though trying to find the lieutenants should be a top priority, she still had her whole guard shift ahead of her and canceling on the baron she was supposed to meet with that evening could cost her additional support. The earliest she could track them down was the next morning. Guess I better wake up early tomorrow... she thought.

Penelope glanced up the staircase and frowned a little more as she realized their short walk together was drawing to an end. "Well, this first hallway is my stop, so I guess I'll hopefully see you tomorrow sometime." she mused softly as they reached the top. The knight glanced over towards the guard she'd be relieving before looking back over at Crow. "Good luck with your lesson today."

Crow smiled when Penelope spoke eagerly about meeting with the lieutenants. Until now, he hadn’t been able to do much to help her with her goal of convincing his father to end the war, so he was glad that the information he’d gotten from his half-brother had been useful to her. Until he improved his reputation around the castle, he had a feeling that overhearing conversations like that would be the only way he could do anything to support her, since he couldn’t speak to any of the nobles directly.

“They could be,” Crow assured her when she said she hoped they would be around tomorrow. “If they really are here because their battalion isn’t doing well in the war, then it’ll probably take longer than just a couple days for the king to help them come up with a new strategy.” It was a bit of a bold statement to make for one who knew next to nothing about the complexities of warfare, but he felt like it was reasonable enough. After all, he knew that his father was determined to win the war that the last king had started. Albin wouldn’t rush into anything unless he knew it was going to work.

When they reached the top of the stairs, he noticed Penelope slow her pace slightly. They were probably getting close to the spot she had been assigned to guard. In the next moment, he glanced down at her as she confirmed his suspicions. “Thanks,” he smiled when she wished him luck. Following her gaze, he furtively studied the guard in the corridor, wishing they could be alone so he could give her a proper goodbye. Unfortunately, with the man wasn’t going anywhere, so he had to settle for something more casual.

“Maybe I’ll catch you on your shift tomorrow,” Crow said with a wink. “I’ll see you later, love. And thanks again for the gift.” With a curt wave, he turned and made his way down the corridor, heading back to his bed chamber for his next lesson with Udolf.

"See ya." Penelope nodded with a small smile. Parting ways with the viceroy, she turned and headed over to relieve the guard from his shift. He gave a curt word of thanks before heading off and leaving the female knight alone to her job. She let out a long sigh as she relaxed in the corridor. Truth be told, the knight rarely took midday shifts seriously. It was unlikely for anyone to do anything drastic during broad daylight with plenty of people—namely knights—around. However, the knight didn't voice any complaint and merely continued her shift watching servants and nobles alike pass by.

--

As evening drew closer, another knight came to take her place and she was just about to head off for the staircase when a young servant girl came hurrying over to her. She had frizzy brown hair and round brown eyes that seemed to be flooded with relief when she spotted the female knight. "Excuse me ma'am, are you Penelope Vermillion?" She asked timidly.

"I am.. Are you the servant that Alden was going to send to find me?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm here to take you to the study." she said with a polite bow.

Penelope offered her a small smile and nodded. "Great, thank you."

The servant blinked as she looked back over at Penelope and then quickly averted her gaze as she turned to lead the way. "O-of course.. Right this way then."

The knight followed her as she lead them down the stairs and down various corridors in the castle. Penelope felt a hint of anxiousness build in her as she thought about meeting with this baron. He and his son hadn't seemed to be the most pleasant of people but then again, if they were willing to speak up for the end of the war, she supposed it didn't matter. Eventually they reached their destination and the servant opened the door for her, allowing her in first. As she stepped inside, her gaze fell on Alden. He was sitting at on of the empty chairs flipping boredly through a book. His gaze lifted just enough to look over at Penelope and waved for her to come further inside.

"My father will be here shortly. Take a seat. Wherever you'd like." Alden said, finally closing the book.

"Alright. Thanks." Penelope nodded as she walked over to an empty seat. Glancing around the room, she had to admit it was decorated rather lavishly. Silver and gold plates, a beautiful rug, various decor that had jewels and other crystals—all in all the whole room screamed of wealth. It was nearly deafening in the knight's opinion

"So.. Are things on the warfront really that bad?" Alden asked, drawing Penelope's gaze away from one of the expensive items in the room. The knight didn't miss the critical edge in his voice.

"They're not bad. Not yet at least." Penelope explained carefully. "However, they aren't going good either. It's been over a year and everything is still at a stalemate. At this rate, both kingdoms are going to be so depleted of resources it'll hardly even matter who wins."

"Huh.." Alden mused and then paused. "It must be quite frustrating for you, right? I mean, since the whole mission before this war went wrong. This is like your second time trying to stop this war."

Penelope eyed him for a moment, disliking that he brought up her old failure. "I suppose. But I hardly care about that, right now it's just important for us to get the king to realize that a peaceful solution is the best outcome for this war."

"Right." Alden nodded. He opened his mouth to add something else but didn't get the chance to as the door opened once again and his father stepped inside. Penelope turned her head to look over at the sandy blonde man, forcing herself to keep a neutral expression. The knight would have like to return some of the nasty glares she had seen him giving the viceroy but since she was there with the hope of winning his support, she knew it'd be wiser not to.

"Ah good, you're both already here." the baron said approvingly. He stepped further inside to take a seat at his desk as well as to allow in the servant who had brought plates of food for the three of them. As she set the food down, the baron turned to Penelope with an emphatic smile. "I find it's best not to discuss business on an empty stomach. So please, relax and eat."

"Thank you, sir." Penelope muttered politely before turning her attention to her plate of food. Next to her, Alden wasted no time doing the same.

"Now then, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Adam Fischbach. And we have much to discuss, miss Vermillion." Adam smiled slyly before taking a bite from his food.

When Crow got back to his room, he took a quick look around and then let out his breath in relief when he saw that Udolf wasn’t there yet. He had been a little worried that since he had taken some extra time to walk with Penelope, he would be late for his next lesson. Fortunately, it seemed like he wasn’t going to get another lecture on tardiness from the tutor today.

He paused by the door, thinking something over, before he stepped over to his bed and stowed the box with the journal and quill beneath one of the large, decorative pillows. Though he knew there was probably no reason for him to hide his possessions in the palace, it had become a bit of a habit for him to do so after he’d lived his whole life either alone or living amongst thieves who might go through his things. He liked to keep his possessions to himself, and since he was going to be using the supplies Udolf would bring for him for the lesson, there was no reason to let the old man know that he had his own writing utensils now.

Once he felt like the box was secure, he moved to the table and sat down, unraveling the scroll that he had used the day before. Since he was early for once, he decided there was no point in wasting his time by waiting for Udolf to arrive. However, he barely had time to look over the characters on the parchment before the door opened and the tutor stepped inside.

Crow looked up to see that the old man was looking at him with one brow raised in surprise.

“Well, well,” Udolf mused as he approached the table. “It’s good to see that you’re finally taking your studies seriously.”

“That’s because you’re finally teaching me something I want to learn,” Crow shrugged.

Udolf smirked. “Now, if you could just apply this enthusiasm to the rest of your lessons, we may start seeing some results.”

“Are the other lessons going to cover subjects I like?”

“We’ll find out, won’t we?” Udolf answered vaguely. He looked over the scroll in the viceroy’s hands. “To start, show me how much you remember from yesterday’s lesson.”

Crow nodded, familiar with the routine. He picked up a quill from table and dipped it in the ink, taking a slow breath as he focused on reciting the letters from his memory. The quill moved fastidiously over the paper, marking down the individual symbols while he vocalized the sounds that each one represented as he wrote them. He made a few mistakes when he mixed up some of the characters—‘B’ and ‘D’ were especially hard to keep straight—but overall, Udolf seemed impressed with what he’d been able to recall.

“Very good indeed,” the tutor nodded when the viceroy finished writing out all the letters for the third time in a row. He’d gotten them all right this time. “I would say you’re ready to move on to reading.”

“What will I be reading?” Crow asked, looking over the stacks of books on the table with newfound curiosity. For his whole life, the words on their pages had been incomprehensible to him, but now it felt like a whole new world was opening up. He felt nearly as excited as he had the first time he’d held a conversation with a man from Waithen as a child. Written word was a language in and of itself, and he was determined to become fluent in it.

“I haven’t decided,” Udolf said as he absently picked up one of the books and flipped through the pages. “Since you have a broader vocabulary than the children I’ve taught in the past, the books I’ve given them wouldn’t be challenging enough for you.” He set down the book in his hands and picked up another. “But at the same time, most of the more advanced books may yet have words beyond your comprehension… Something in the middle will have to do.”

Crow watched as the tutor went through a few more books before he finally stopped at one with a dark red leather binding. Though it was clearly old, it didn’t look quite as worn as the others, and the spine still creaked when the old man opened it. The viceroy guessed it hadn’t been read very much in its lifetime.

“This one should be a good fit,” Udolf said approvingly as he skimmed the pages. “And I believe you’ll find the content… interesting.” He closed the book again and handed it to Crow. “Try reading the title out loud. It’s on the first page.”

The viceroy looked the book over with intrigue, wondering what the tutor had picked for him. Following the old man’s instruction, he opened it to the first page and studied characters that made up the title. As he did, his heartbeat quickened with excitement. The symbols that were once foreign to him had meaning now. All that was left was to string them into words.

He narrowed his eyes slightly as he examined the letters, focusing intently to draw meaning out of them. It took some time for him to figure out the pronunciation in his head—since some of the characters represented more than one sound, he used trial and error until the words made sense to him—but after a short time, he raised his brow in recognition.

“The Legend of Uierr and Laphdeus,” he read aloud, looking up at Udolf in mild surprise. Uierr and Laphdeus were the sibling gods of day and night as well as of prosperity and famine. Legend had it that the two brothers were locked in perpetual combat, and the outcomes of their fights determined whether a harvest would be bountiful or a winter would be long. He had often heard the farmers in the outer villages pray and leave offerings to Uierr whenever they feared that a famine was coming.

“Excellent,” Udolf said approvingly when the viceroy spoke the book’s title correctly. “I know you villagers are quite fond of the gods, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy learning more about them.”

Crow couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I was a criminal before. Do you really think I prayed to any gods?”

“Perhaps not,” the tutor admitted. “But I know they are still deeply ingrained in your culture.”

“I suppose so,” Crow shrugged, looking down at the book again. He wasn’t sure how Udolf knew anything about peasant culture, but the old man was right that the gods were an important part of it. Ever since he was a child, he had been told stories about them and had been taught by other villagers that it was important to pray and leave offerings to please the deities that watched over Brerra. Of course, having adopted the life of a thief, he had never followed any of their advice, but he could still recite all the tales and rituals he’d been taught by heart.

“I would like to review your etiquette once today,” Udolf went on. “After that, you will spend the rest of your lesson reading that book. The practice will help you get faster at interpreting written words.”

“Alright,” Crow nodded. He set the book down on the table and stood up, eager to get the boring part of his lesson over with so that he could focus on his literacy. Now that he was able to read at least somewhat, he was determined to master the skill as soon as he could.

--

The rest of the day went by smoothly. As usual, Crow recited his etiquette without any mistakes, and Udolf left him early to read in peace, since he was capable enough now at figuring out the words in the book without help.

Once he was alone, the viceroy laid back on his bed, settling down comfortably and holding the book over his head. Though he would never admit it to Udolf, the content was interesting to him. He already knew most of the legend about Uierr and Laphdeus, but he found that there were some details he had never heard before. They had probably gotten lost with time as generations of peasants passed the tale down orally. The viceroy found it fascinating how stories and information could be permanently recorded on the pages of books without losing any pieces. He wondered what other gaps he had in his knowledge from missing details or being told incorrect versions of the truth.

Crow continued working slowly through the pages of the book, unaware of the passage of time as he focused on finding meaning in the words. At some point, he must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he was aware of was the feeling of a hand on his arm.

The viceroy startled, his eyelids fluttering open to see Preston standing at his side. The book he had been reading laid open on his chest and his right hand rested limply on top of it.

“It’s time for supper,” the attendant said in a low voice. He seemed nervous, probably because of how Crow had reacted to being woken up in the past.

“Is it?” Crow yawned broadly and sat up, setting his book down at his side. He took a moment to stretch his legs before he slid down from the bed and put his boots back on.

Preston shuffled his feet, “Well, supper actually started a little while ago, but you seemed tired, so I thought it would be best to let you keep sleeping.”

“Is food still being served?”

“Yes.”

“That’s all I care about,” Crow stretched his arms over his head as he headed for the door. “Come on. I’m starving.”

It was uncomfortable to be eating with the baron and his son, mainly because Penelope found her guard was up around them due to how they had reacted to Crow's rise in power. She felt like she was dining amongst enemies. However, despite her reservations, the two remained hospitable towards her and even conversed rather casually with her. Adam went ahead and listened to her explain her reasonings for wishing the war to end and she was surprised to hear Alden even offer some agreement with the points she made. All in all, it seemed things were going rather well.

For a short while at least.

"I see why you're so determined to end this war." Adam said with a hint of amusement. "It certainly have a poor outcome if it continues as it has been." The amusement faded from his expression as was replaced by seriousness. He folded his arms on the table and held her gaze. "However, I can't just agree to this. The king is rather set on winning this war so going against him isn't exactly reflect well on me. So, for me to take that risk, I'd like a something in return.."

Penelope blinked and looked over at him with a hint of confusion. What could she possibly have that he wanted? He was clearly wealthier than her so surely he wasn't look for gold. He was also more powerful than her so surely he wasn't looking for her influence either. "Ah.. Alright. What exactly do you want?" she asked with a hint of caution.

"Information that I believe only you possess." Adam remarked with a gleam in his gaze that made the knight uneasy.

"You've dealt with that thief more than any other knight in the inner kingdom. You've worked alongside him in the past and you were his constant guard for quite a while before he was promoted." Alden explained smirking. "I bet you know more about that thief and how to deal with him than anyone else."

She didn't like where this was going. "Exactly what are you trying to get at here?" Penelope growled.

"We want to know how to get that bastard out of the viceroy position and into the gallows or at the very least, prison. And to do that, I need to know as much as I can about him. His habits, his ticks, his weaknesses." Adam smirked cruelly. "That curr doesn't belong here and he took something that wasn't his so I intend to fix this mess. A proper nobleman should and will take the rightful spot of viceroy." His subtle nod to Alden didn't slip past the knight's gaze.

Penelope felt a rise of protective anger in her and shot a glared at the baron. They wouldn't be getting anything from her but she couldn't say that outright. As much as she wanted to defend Crow, she'd have to be cautious. If these two were aware of how much the two had been around each other, they might start to realize how close she was to him. Of all people to realize that, she had a feeling these two would be the worst. She had to tread carefully. "This all sounds quite like treason and I want no part of it. The king made his decision and you'd be a fool to try and challenge that." she stated.

Adam narrowed his eyes at her. "The king made a poor choice that I'm going to fix before anyone realizes it. I'd hardly call that treason. In fact, I imagine will be rewarded for it." he smiled slyly. "It's a small risk to take if it means the ending the war, don't you think?"

"Hardly." Penelope spat.

"I can sweeten the deal if you'd like. Just name your price." the baron bargained.

"There isn't a single thing, gold or otherwise, that would convince me to tell you anything." Penelope growled and stood up.

"Wretched girl! Do you really think protecting a thief is worth more than saving the kingdom from this war you're so strongly against?" Adam stood up as well, slamming a hand down on his desk. "Are you willing to risk another failure?"

"I'm loyal to the throne. I will not undermine the king's decision for a baron who can't handle that a thief was chosen over his bratty son." Penelope stated with an accusing glance at Alden.

"Hey-" Alden growled.

"You fool." Adam curled his lip. "I'll take you and your whole family down once we rise to power."

"Is that a threat?" Penelope clenched her fists at her side.

"Think of it as a warning. You're making an enemy of the wrong person." Adam growled venomously.

"No.. You're making an enemy of the wrong person." Penelope smirked coldly at the man and took a step towards the door. She wasn't going to let a threat to her family slide so easily. This man was really rubbing her the wrong way with every angle he tried to play at to get her on his side. "And since you decided to threaten my family like that, I have a new deal to purpose to you. You support the end of the war and I won't say a word about this little conversation to the king. Understood?"

Alden's eyes widened and he glanced towards his father worriedly. Adam's face was contorted with rage at the blackmail, it nearly made the knight snicker. She was normally above blackmail but she needed to keep an eye on them. Since she figured they wouldn't stop their planning regardless, she hoped that pressure from her would be enough to keep them from doing anything too obviously drastic, like hiring a mercenary.

"You bitch." Adam spat.

"Was that a 'no'?" Penelope challenged. "Do remember that I'm good friends with Princess Naida, whom is close to the viceroy. I doubt she'd take hearing this lightly either."

Adam paused as he trembled with fury. "..Fine." he said as if the word tasted vile. "I'll support the end of the war in exchange for your silence."

"Wonderful." Penelope mused as she held his cold gaze. "I think my business here is over then. Have a good evening." She said coldly before turning and heading out of the room.

Once she stepped outside, she let out a breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding and felt a small wave of panic wash over her. These nobles were really out for Crow and though she agreed not to tell the king, she still felt the urgent need to warn the viceroy. After all, whatever they were planning, surely the threat from her wouldn't be enough to stop it. While they likely wouldn't pull anything too obvious with her knowledge, the baron didn't seem like the type to just roll over. In fact, she was rather certain the only reason he agreed to her blackmail was because he was confident he could still knock Crow out of the position, which meant he'd be able to get revenge on her. The knight shook her head at the thought and hurried off towards the Great Hall, walking at a fast pace. It was already rather late but she hoped she'd still be able to catch Crow before he headed to bed.

When Crow got to the Great Hall, he was quick to notice that neither Naida or Penelope were there. He was a bit disappointed, but it wasn’t too surprising. He remembered that the knight had some sort of meeting with a baron in the evening, and his sister normally arrived at the beginning of every meal. She had probably already eaten and returned to her room for the night. Since he had slept in, it had been unlikely for him to run into either of them.

He made his way over to an empty table and sat down while Preston walked off to the kitchen to bring out his dinner. For a short time, he rested his arms on the table and entertained himself by watching the other nobles in the room. Some of them still casted him occasional glares, but for the most part, they seemed to be ignoring him. He wondered if that meant they were finally starting to tire of hating him or if they were just learning to be more discreet about it. Either way, he was glad that they weren’t as openly hostile as they had been before.

After a bit, Crow grew bored of watching the other people, so he reached into his tunic pocket. Having suspected that he was going to be eating alone, he had brought along the book Udolf had given him, so he could spend the evening practicing his reading instead of sitting idly. It took him some time to figure out what page he had ended on earlier, since he had fallen asleep, but after some searching, he found a sentence that looked familiar to him.

Crow read until Preston returned with his food, only looking up when the attendant set his plate down in front of him. “Thanks,” he said absently, lowering his gaze to the book again as he tried to decipher an especially long word.

“Of course,” Preston dipped his head and proceeded to test the viceroy’s food. As he did, he glanced at the book in his hand. “I don’t see any pictures on those pages. Are you able to read now?”

Crow shrugged, “Technically, yes. But I wouldn’t call myself literate.” He tilted his head slightly, as if changing the angle of the word he was looking at would make its meaning clearer to him. “It takes me a long time to figure out what I’m reading.”

“I can tell,” Preston studied him amusedly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Crow looked up at the boy with narrowed eyes.

“You keep squinting at that book like it’s full of puzzles,” the attendant said simply.

Crow stared at him for a moment before he burst out in a short laugh.

“What?” Preston frowned.

“Nothing,” the viceroy shook his head. “You just said something that reminded me of someone I used to know.” He looked down at the book again and then widened his eyes as the word he had been trying to read suddenly clicked in his head. “Convalescing?” he muttered to himself, wrinkling his nose. “Gods, that word doesn’t look at all like I thought it would.”

“Con-what?” Preston leaned a little closer. “What are you reading?”

“It’s a record about the gods Uierr and Laphdeus,” Crow answered. “This part is about the time when Laphdeus poisoned his brother. Since Uierr is immortal, he didn’t die, but he spent the following year convalescing in solitude, and the world suffered a great famine while he was gone.”

“Oh, I remember that story,” Preston nodded. “It was the only time mankind gave offerings to Laphdeus, right? To beg him to lift his curse from their crops.”

“Yeah,” Crow looked up at the attendant with interest. Since they had met in the castle, he often forgot that Preston came from the same village and had grown up with the same stories he had. It was nice to have someone else around who came from the same peasant culture. Even though most of the other servants in the palace were commoners too, most of them had been born in the inner kingdom and had never even set foot in the outer villagers. It was rather fortunate that Albin had sent him this boy, who had not only been born on the border but also shared his home village, Myrefall.

“Why don’t you spend supper with me?” Crow offered with a smile, gesturing to the open bench across from him.

Preston glanced over his shoulder at the nobles in the Great Hall before turning back to the viceroy. “Alright,” he said quietly. “I’ll get my food.”

As the attendant walked away, Crow dug into his portion of dinner. He was glad that Preston hadn’t fought him on it this time. It seemed that the boy was getting used to the fact that he didn’t follow the same rules and traditions as everyone else, which was good news for both of them, since it also meant they would probably butt heads less in the future.

For the rest of the meal, Crow and Preston spoke about the legends they had been told in the outer villages when they were younger, comparing the versions they knew and exchanging stories the other hadn’t heard before. The viceroy found the conversation to be strangely comforting. It reminded him of the things he used to speak with other peasants about back home. By the end of it, he felt a bit nostalgic but also more relaxed than he had been in a while.

He was so caught up in the moment that he almost didn’t see Penelope come into the Great Hall.

When the knight entered the room, Crow looked up in surprise. He’d thought she had said she was going to eat dinner with a baron, so he hadn’t thought she would be stopping by to get food here. He was also confused by the briskness of her pace. She almost looked flighty to him, but perhaps she had just been worried that she had missed supper? Either way, he was excited to know he hadn’t missed her. He raised his hand to get her attention, hoping she would see him and know he hadn’t left yet.

As soon as she stepped into the Great Hall, she swept her gaze over the tables, scanning for the viceroy until she noticed him raise his hand to catch her attention. The knight felt a small flood of relief knowing that she hadn't missed him and to make it even better, Naida was nowhere in sight either. After all, the knight intended to hold up her end the of the deal—namely to make it look less like she was trying to protect the thief. Picking up her pace once more, she hurried over to the table and took a seat next to him.

"Thank gods you're still here. I was worried I'd miss you." Penelope shook her head and gave him an urgent look. "Listen I have to tell you—" The knight paused in her words as a servant came over to see if she wanted anything. She waved her off and then glanced across the table at Crow's attendant. The two locked gaze for a moment before the boy quickly looked away. It took her a moment to realize it was likely because he wasn't sure how she'd react to sitting at a table with someone of lower class.

However, the knight wasn't really concerned about that. She was more concerned about deciding whether or not she should let the servant in on the information she was about to tell Crow. Though, she quickly decided it was likely best to let him know. If they had tried bargaining with her, it was possible they'd try to go after his attendant as well. "You listen too. It might do you some good." she told him with a sigh before looking back to Crow.

"That baron I was meeting with tonight was the same one that began the protests at your ceremony, if you remember. Older blonde man with sandy hair... Anyways, you need to be careful." Penelope said with frown. "They're already trying to plot against you. The only reason they wanted to meet with me was to try and find out as much as they could about you."

Crow grinned when Penelope caught sight of him and began to make her way over. However, the expression quickly faded when he noticed the urgency in her walk. Suddenly worried that something was wrong, he studied her with a concerned look. Had something happened during her guard shift? Or perhaps the baron she had met with had opposed her idea of ending the war on peaceful terms. He felt a pang of frustration at the idea of some self-righteous nobleman upsetting the knight like that.

When she sat down at the table, he listened intently as she began to speak, only to be cut off by a passing servant who stopped by to ask if the knight wanted anything to eat. The viceroy casted the girl a sideways glance and then looked away, letting his gaze wander to Preston, who was now fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat. The boy was probably worried about what Penelope thought of him sitting at a table with nobles. After all, just because Crow was fine with it didn’t mean anyone else was.

He caught the attendant’s eye and made a calming gesture, hoping it would be enough to let him know that he wasn’t going to get in trouble with Penelope. It seemed to work. Preston nodded faintly and relaxed a bit, though he was still visibly tense as he met the knight’s gaze for a brief moment.

When Penelope said that the servant should listen too, Crow knitted his brow in confusion, wondering what she could possibly have to say that would affect both of them. He had been expecting her to tell him that her concern was about the baron, but maybe something else was going on that he didn’t know about.

The viceroy listened in surprise when the knight continued on to say that the baron she had met with was the one who had spoken out at his ceremony. He hadn’t expected her to meet with someone like that, but he supposed she would have to look for support wherever she could find it, even if some of the people she spoke with weren’t the most likeable. However, his frown deepened as she explained that the man had tried to use her for information.

“What a bastard,” Crow shook his head in disgust. Despite his outward calm, the news disturbed him more prominently than he let on. If there was already one person out to get him, then how many more could there be, just lying in wait for him to slip up somehow? The memory of the mercenary in his dream came back to him once more, and he shuddered. Recently, he’d been letting his guard down a bit more around the castle, but now he was starting to think it would be smarter to stay alert again.

Maybe I should keep a dagger in my boot too, he thought, drumming his fingers absently on the table.

“I should tell the king, right?” he asked in a low voice, meeting Penelope’s gaze with a hint of worry in his eyes. “I mean, we have no idea what these people are capable of. I’d feel better if we stop them before they get desperate enough to do anything drastic.”

Penelope hesitated at his words before shaking her head. "No. I don't think you should." she shifted a bit. "There's no real evidence against them yet aside from my own interaction with them and I don't think it'd be hard for them to lie their way out of that type of situation... Not to mention, they'd probably have the support of quite a few other nobles, who'd probably be quicker to defend them rather than me or you."

The knight placed a hand on his arm and gave him a reassuring look. "But I wouldn't worry too much about them doing anything drastic." she told him.

"Why do you say that?" the servant piped up looking over at her curiously.

Reminded of his close presence, she quickly removed her hand from Crow's arm and looked over at the servant, giving a small smirk. "Well, I made it rather clear I didn't support whatever plans they had and then I offered them a deal. Support for the war ending in exchange for me not mentioning to the king what they had tried to pull during our meeting." she explained with a shrug and glanced over at Crow. "Once I refused to work with them, they turned on me rather quick, threatening to drag me and my family down once they rose up. So basically, they know I'm watching them now and they know I won't always remain quiet if they try something else."

The knight leaned her elbows on the table and smiled half-heartedly. "So if they do try something, it's going to have to be discreet."

Crow clicked his tongue when Penelope said that going to his father probably wouldn’t work. Naida had gone on and on about how he would be safe in the castle as long as he had Albin’s protection, but it was starting to look like his sister had been wrong. If the nobles that were conspiring to remove him were high enough in rank, it was going to be difficult to do anything to stop them. Unsettled by this new information, he took a long swig of wine in an attempt to calm his nerves.

When Penelope rested her hand on his arm, he turned back to her with a frown. Despite the confidence in her words, he wasn’t so sure she was right about the nobles refraining from doing anything drastic. Because of his history, they already wanted to see him hanged. What was there to stop them from taking matters into their own hands and offing him, themselves? They had plenty of money to hire someone else to do the dirty work for them too.

Looks like I’m going to be on the run no matter what my title is, he thought with a sigh. As a thief, he had been chased by knights and bounty hunters. Now as a viceroy, he might find himself the target of a hired assassin—an even more dangerous enemy to make. It was starting to feel like he wouldn’t ever be able to stop running.

Crow met Penelope’s gaze as she went on to assure him that her conversation with the baron had been enough to force him to act discreetly. “Maybe,” he shrugged, still not fully convinced. “But that’s just one man. What if there are others?” He frowned as he admitted the worry that was still weighing on his chest. “If there are more people of equally high rank who want me gone, the baron you spoke with could easily go to one of them. As you said, he probably has a lot of support, so even if you come forward about what he said, it’s going to be hard to convince anyone to listen to you.”

He ran a hand nervously through his hair. “Gods, I haven’t even been here for a week and there are already people out to get me. I haven’t even done anything to offend them either. It’s ridiculous.”

Penelope frowned a little as Crow's worry didn't lessen with her words. "They might but I doubt many, if any, will help them. They might not like you but working to get rid of you would be dangerous for them, especially if there wasn't much for them to gain out of it. The only reason this baron is so hellbent on it is because he wants his son in your position." she pointed out calmly.

In her opinion, it was a valid reason for many nobles not to turn on him. They all wanted the king's favor after all and it was risky business to try and undermine such a decision. It also reminded her that some nobles had even tried to win some favor by support the thief, even if it had been fake. "Plus, there's always ways to secure your place a little more firmly... You might not like it though." she said with a half smile.

"Do you remember any of the nobles that congratulated you after your ceremony?" she asked with a soft sigh. She wasn't fond of her own idea but it'd possibly help fend off the Fischbach's and other such power-hungry nobles. "I'd recommend getting to know them. They're after the favor you have with the king. Truly they're leeches but in this case you can at least use them to your advantage. Right now you're only hanging around Naida, me and your servant. If you start hanging around them too, you'll start truly assimilating into noble life. In other words, it'll be harder for anyone to touch you. Discreet or not."

Penelope shrugged her shoulders and offered a small smirk. "They're willing to use you so might as well use them in return. It's politics at its finest. Plus it'll give up a chance to really put those etiquette lessons to work."

Crow shifted his weight when Penelope explained that the baron was only going after him because he’d wanted his son to take the title he currently held. Knowing the reason why the nobleman was trying to have him removed did ease his concerns a bit. If no one else had a personal vendetta against him like that, he supposed it was unlikely for them to side with the baron she had met with. He let out his breath in relief. It seemed like Naida really was right about the protection his father gave him—at least in part.

Still, that didn’t mean he was going to continue walking around the castle unarmed. Starting tonight, he was going to hide one of his daggers underneath his pillow and stow the other blade away in his boot.

As Penelope went on to say that there was a way for him to secure his position, he met her gaze with interest. If there were people after him, he was open to try anything. So, as she explained her idea, he listened thoughtfully, taking the suggestion into consideration. She was right that he wasn’t fond of the idea, but it was certainly something he felt capable of doing. After all, there was a reason why so many people called him a snake. He was quite good at using others to get what he wanted. Even though he didn’t like the idea of getting involved in castle politics, he didn’t seem to have much of a choice anymore.

“Use them, huh?” Crow mused, swallowing the last bite of his supper. “I could do that.” He casted Penelope a mischievous smirk. “I’m sure they all think I’m just a dumb peasant anyway. It won’t be hard to use that against them.”

Penelope smiled a little as Crow seemed to accept her idea. She was rather certain it would work though, even if it wasn't the most enjoyable thing to do. After all, if those nobles thought they had Crow's favor—and there for the king's as well—they'd likely be resistant against any other noble trying to push him out of the seat. It wasn't absolute loyalty or friendship but at least it was some sort of barrier between him and those that wished him out of the castle.

On the downside, it likely meant she'd be seeing even less of him. If he was going to fit in with those nobles, he was going to have to spend some of his already limited free time with them. The thought was rather disheartening to the knight as they had already been struggling to find time together as it was. "That's likely." she mused in agreement with a small smirk. "I'm sure you won't have much trouble with them. They'll be too excited at the prospect of earning favor with the king to focus on much else."

Noticing he had finished his supper and having told him all she needed to, the knight let out a sigh. "I better get going. I've gotta wake up early tomorrow to try and find those lieutenants you mentioned." she slowly rose up to her feet and gave him a half hearted look. "Hopefully I'll see you soon. Good luck with the nobles until then."