Crow watched Penelope walk away with a frown, wishing again that he could have had more time with her during breakfast. Gods knew he needed it after the morning he’d had. Unfortunately, it seemed that they had to go their separate ways once again as their lives in the castle diverged. He let out a quiet sigh. Nobility was so much busier than peasant life. He missed being able to live by his own rules on his own time. Compared to the freedom he had before, being a viceroy nearly felt strangling.

“Ready to go?” John grunted, his tone implying that his words were more of a command than a question.

Drawn from his thought, Crow turned to the knight and shrugged, “I suppose so.”

Of course, Penelope’s father said nothing in response. Instead, he wordlessly led the way out of the Great Hall, leaving the viceroy to follow in his wake.

--

The walk to the training grounds was uncomfortable, to say the least. Neither Crow nor John spoke a word as their traveled to the palace courtyard, where the former assumed his training session was going to take place that day. On the way, he was torn between leaving the silence between them unbroken and starting up some small talk, mostly for his own peace of mind. However, the latter choice won out, since he decided it would be even more uncomfortable to talk for the sake of hearing his own voice when the knight struck him as the type of man who enjoyed a good, long quiet. So, he spent the entirety of the short trip biting his tongue to keep from giving Penelope’s father any more reason to dislike him.

Only when they arrived in an open, flat area near the knights’ barracks outside did John finally break the silence.

“You’ll start with sword fighting,” the knight announced in his usual oh-so-friendly voice.

Behind him, Crow grimaced. With the memory of his nightmare still fresh in his mind, the last thing he wanted to do was pick up the weapon he had been killed with in his dreams. Regardless, he refused to voice his unease with the older man’s order. Though he would never say it out loud, John was one of the few people whose opinion mattered to him—at least a little bit. As such, he didn’t want to make a fuss and give off the impression that he was incompetent or weak.

Luckily, John didn’t seem to notice his hesitation. “First, we’ll need to find you a proper tool,” the knight went on, stepping over to a rack of various weapons near the edge of the clearing. After looking them over for a moment, he withdrew—much to the viceroy’s relief—a wooden sword. He pulled out a second one for himself before walking back and handing off one of the mock blades hilt-first. “We normally use these to teach children, but they should work for you just as well,” he said.

“I’m getting used to that,” Crow muttered as he accepted the wooden sword, thinking about the scrolls Udolf had used to teach noble children in the past. At first he had been chagrined by the knowledge that he was being taught with supplies meant for kids, but after a week of it, he had grown numb to the embarrassment. After all, it wasn’t his fault that he’d never had the education that noble children were raised with. He’d been too busy learning to steal to take care of his ailing mother.

“How much do you know of basic sword fighting?” John asked, taking a few steps back to put some distance between them.

“I’m not sure,” Crow answered with a frown as he looked over the tool in his hand. It was light—much lighter than the swords he’d stolen and used in the past—and maybe even a little bit smaller. It was certainly going to be easier to maneuver about than the real deal. He glanced up at the knight, “To be honest, I don’t think I know anything about proper sword fighting. I’ve sort of just used whatever worked for me in the moment.”

“Then we’ll start from the top,” John said decisively. “I’ll teach you a few simple moves that will become the foundation for the rest of your training.”

“Alright,” Crow tossed his wooden sword from his right hand to his left and back again, smirking at the older man with a hint of challenge in his pale green eyes. Even though he knew next to nothing about this particular skill, and he was still a little unnerved because of his dream, he enjoyed the prospect of testing himself. He wanted to find out how much better he could get with some real guidance instead of a few drunken night guards in the outer villages.

The viceroy pointed his blade at the knight, “Show me what you’ve got.”

Penelope stepped into the head physician's office. She had been there a few different times before in the past but the wide range of medicine, books, bandages, and other such things never ceased to catch her off guard. The amount of things in the room always made it feel much smaller to her than it actually was. Her green gaze shifted over to the familiar figure of Eldon who was mixing some concoction that she didn't even bother to try and identify.

It was a moment before his gaze lifted to look over at her. He eyed her for a moment, as if trying to diagnose what was wrong with her before she stepped inside. "What are you here for?" he finally asked, appearing to give up on figuring it out on looking alone. The knight paused and shuffled her feet for a moment.

"Ah.. Well..." she began with a hint of hesitation. She wasn't quite sure how to phrase the issue of the dreams. All she had to go by was what Crow had told her and the little information she did have on knights with somewhat similar conditions. "I've been having this nightmare... It's really vivid and it keeps coming back... I'm not sure if there's anything you can do but I just had to ask."

Eldon fell quiet for a moment and looked at her expectantly. "Well, what is this nightmare? Describe it." he prompted gruffly.

Penelope hesitated. For a moment, she thought about just rewording the dream Crow had told her but quickly realized that wouldn't work. The dream would have to be something more personal. She worried that if it wasn't, Eldon might brush it off as just a regular nightmare. "It-it always starts off in a field." she began, frowning slightly as she dug into her memories for the more gruesome things she had seen during her time as a knight. "Everything's calm at first but then suddenly it's chaotic... Blood splatters on me and I see knights killing each other. I can't even make out who's a friend or a foe. And there's so much blood... Then things seemed to slow just enough as one of them rushes at me. I want to move but I can't." For good measure, she let out a shaky breath and rested her hand over her scar. "They swing their sword at me and then I just wake up.."

"And how many days have you had this dream?"

"Three.." Penelope answered, lowering her gaze.

"I see." Eldon mused thoughtfully. "Well I'm not surprised. Quite a few knights coming in from the warfront have this type of problem."

"So there's a way to stop the dreams?" Penelope asked, unable to keep a hint of excitement out of her voice. However, as she looked back over at him, it died down as he clearly didn't share the same enthusiasm.

"Yes... And also no." Eldon shrugged. "I'm not a miracle worker so I can't control what goes on in a person's head. My remedies have been said to occasionally suppress the dreams though.. Let me give you a couple options.."

Crow discovered quickly that John was on a different level than the knights he’d fought with in the past.

As the older man had said, the first thing he focused on was teaching the viceroy the basics of sword fighting, which Crow also discovered that he had been lacking in. John walked him patiently through a number of different moves that the former thief had some grasp of, but had never properly learned. Since he had taught himself by watching knights from a distance and sparring against them while drunk, there were quite a few gaps in his knowledge. He was grateful that John didn’t get short with him as he fumbled through the process of breaking down his old habits and replacing them with new ones.

He also found himself impressed with John’s skill with a sword. The knight demonstrated every move with the grace and poise of a much younger man—a stark contrast compared to his own messy performance—and matched him for every stroke when the viceroy practiced sparring against him. His experience was evident, and Crow wondered just how many battles he had seen to have come so far in his work. The scar on the older man’s face certainly told a tale of a long and dangerous past. However, he was still too stiff around him to ask about it.

Once John felt that Crow had progressed enough, they moved on to real sparring. This was where the former thief really learned how formidable the knight could be in a fight. Even though he could tell Penelope’s father was holding back a bit, the older man certainly didn’t restrain himself from striking hard whenever he slipped past his student’s defense. It was “incentive,” he claimed, to persuade the viceroy to try harder at keeping him from landing a blow.

Crow had a feeling it was revenge for a certain night two weeks ago.

By the end of the last match, he found himself lying on his back in the grass, breathing heavily from the exertion of fending off John’s relentless attacks. Every part of him ached, and he knew he was going to be covered in bruises and welts by suppertime. One spot on his left side was especially sore from a swipe the knight had taken just below his ribcage.

Meanwhile, John stood nearby, unafflicted. As hard as Crow had tried, he’d only managed to cut through the older man’s defense one time. Even then, he had barely nicked his arm before the knight had wrenched his wooden weapon from his hand and delivered a prod to his collar that was going to leave another welt.

John’s stamina was surprising too. He was barely panting by the end of the fight. Crow had an idea why though. As they sparred, he had noticed that the knight conserved energy by minimizing his movements. While he had been swinging his own sword wildly about in the hopes of landing a blow by chance, every motion John made had been carefully calculated. The older man swung his blade half as much, yet inflicted ten times as much damage. His skills inspired the viceroy to get better with the weapon, so he might one day stand on equal footing with him on the battlefield.

“Get up,” John said, looking down at his student with a critical frown and gesturing with his sword. “You’re the king’s viceroy now, Collin. Have some honor.”

“My honor,” Crow grumbled without moving. “Left with my dignity when you poked me with that thing in the ass.”

Off to the side, he heard a couple knights snicker, and he shot them an icy glare. He knew they had seen it happen. Once word had gotten out that the thief-turned-noble, Lockton, was going to be learning to fight under Vermillion’s tutelage, men from the barracks had gathered to watch the spectacle. He was certain they had found it amusing when Penelope’s father had struck him in the rear, or when he had knocked him off his feet, or when he had disarmed him, or any other point in their sparring, really. He’d done a pretty pathetic job of fighting back.

“You can’t just throw a fit every time you feel embarrassed,” John criticized him sternly. “Now get up. You’re acting like a child.”

Crow set his jaw, prepared to argue that he would get up when he felt like it, but then thought better of it. Reminding himself that he wanted this man to like him, he reluctantly climbed to his feet and picked up his wooden sword. “I’m done sparring though,” he announced, deciding to draw his boundaries somewhere while he still could.

John didn’t seem to mind. “Very well,” he agreed.

The two replaced their weapons with the rest of the knights’ supplies, and Penelope’s father eyed over the grass in Crow’s clothes and hair. “You might consider a bath before supper,” he suggested in the usual manner that implied he was giving an order.

Crow glanced down at himself, taking note of the dirt he’d collected from rolling around on the ground. After the recent rainstorm, the dirt had been moist and clung to his skin like sap. “I might,” he shrugged. Though he would never admit it out loud, he really did like the idea of going back to the bathhouse. The warm water would feel heavenly on his bruises, and it would be a pleasant way to wind down after an afternoon of sparring.

Deciding it was a good choice, the viceroy turned to head back to the castle but then wavered. He glanced over his shoulder as John made his way toward to knights’ barracks. An idea crossed his mind that made him shift his weight uncomfortably, and he bit his lip. Even though he didn’t like it, he couldn’t dismiss it either. I’m probably going to regret this…

“Why don’t you come with me?” Crow called to the knight. As John turned around with a surprised look, he averted his gaze. He wasn’t sure what he thought he was going to gain from inviting Penelope’s father to the bathhouse, but he knew he’d wanted to make the offer. Perhaps it was a bit of a desperate move, but he wanted the older man to see that he was worthy of courting his daughter. Maybe he would find an opportunity to do that with this gesture, or maybe he would just make an even bigger fool of himself somehow, but the only way to find out for sure was to make the venture.

John studied him for a moment before he replied, “The bathhouse in the castle is for higher ranking men than myself.”

“I don’t care,” Crow insisted. “I’m inviting you. And besides,” he smiled at the knight amusedly. “The other men here like you better than they like me, so I doubt anyone would complain.”

John paused again before he finally nodded, “Fine.”

“Great,” Crow waved his hand in a beckoning gesture and waited for the knight to fall in step beside him before he turned and headed back to the palace to get cleaned up before supper.

Penelope eyed the two vials that Eldon had produced for her with curiosity. She was surprised that he actually produced a medicine to treat the nightmares rather than recommending something some type of mental exercise she could try. So far it seemed her mission to get Crow a solution to his dreams was going rather well. Her gaze flickered back to the physician. "So what exactly do they do? How do they work?"

"They're a bit like a pain killer." Eldon explained with a shrug. "They won't completely numb your body like a pain killer would but they will make you hallucinate. Makes it easier to forget about the troubles of your nightmares and some of my patients have reported them suppressing the nightmares as well."

Her excitement over finding a solution quickly dropped as Eldon explained the side effects of the medicine. A small frown crossed her lips as she studied the small vials. Crow and pain killers didn't mix well so she was rather certain he wouldn't go for Eldon's medicine even if they did suppress the dreams. To be honest, she wasn't quite sure she liked the idea herself, especially based on how he had reacted to the painkillers Hazel had made him in the past. He had been defenseless and was practically an open book when it came to any of his secrets. The thought of him being like that in the castle where he was surrounded by enemies and she couldn't watch over him while in such a state made her uneasy.

"Is... Is that the only medicine you have? Is there anything else I could try? I'd rather keep my wits than being out of it every night." she asked, looking at him hopefully.

The head physician snorted. "No. If you want to block something in your mind the best way to do that is to numb it, just like you'd numb a regular wound." he scoffed. He paused and crossed his arms over his chest. "If you want something you're more familiar with, I hear drinking can help as well but then you run the risk of becoming a drunkard."

Penelope frowned as it seemed she was reaching a dead end. Drinking wasn't much better. While at least he could monitor how much he let it affect him, she had a feeling than it wouldn't really work unless he was drunk based on Eldon's words. "There's... There's really nothing else, huh?" she asked with a small hint of defeat as she tentatively picked up one of the vials.

There was a brief silence before Eldon let out a long, impatient sigh. "Well some other knight shave refused my treatment before too. They might have come up with a different way of dealing with it but I doubt it's as effective."

"I'd try anything so long as it doesn't involve seeing stars." Penelope said eagerly, her hope returning with his words. "Who are the other knights?"

"I'm not giving away their information and I don't know how they've handled it." Eldon grumbled. "Last thing I need is some angry knights at my door for having a big mouth. If you want a different solution so much, ask around yourself." He waved his hand dismissively.

Penelope rolled her eyes at the physician. Of course, he couldn't make it easy for her. The castle was a big place with a ton of guards. Finding the knights who had dealt with dreams and overcame them without such medicine or drinking would be very difficult. But at least there's a possibility that I can still find something to help.. she thought with a soft sigh. "Alright... Well thank you for the information you have given me." she muttered as she set the vial back down. She dipped her head to the physician and then headed out the door. She wasn't really sure where to begin her search so the knight decided it was best to just begin asking around. Perhaps someone would know something eventually.

Like the walk to the training grounds, the trip to the bathhouse was spent in what Crow found to be uncomfortable silence. John seemed content with it though, so he stilled his tongue from interrupting the quiet with any unnecessary small talk. Instead, he let his mind wander to other things, such as the curiosity of what had possessed him to invite the knight to take a bath with him in the first place. As past experience had proven, they had little to nothing in common, and the only time the older man seemed interested in speaking with him was when he had something critical to say. The more he thought about it, the more he was starting to think there was no way this was going to end well.

So, by the time they reached the bathhouse, Crow’s mood waned, and he began to find the silence between them to be more pleasant, knowing that the alternative would have been worse.

As usual, the noblemen who were already in the pool wrinkled their noses at the sight of the former thief and hurried their attendants along to finish washing them before he got in the water. Crow paid them no mind as he stepped aside to strip off his grass stained clothes. Partially, he had been hoping that one of the other men might recognize John and strike up a conversation so he wouldn’t have to. But, of course, they were all too busy avoiding sharing their bathwater with a former peasant to pay any attention to his company.

The viceroy set his clothes down in a pile away from the water, wincing slightly as the effort of leaning over caused the bruises on his torso to smart. Suddenly more eager to get into the warm water, he turned back around to find that John had also just finished removing his armor and underclothes and was wading in ahead of him. He was a bit surprised that the knight had undressed faster, especially since he’d been wearing more layers, but he supposed he must have been moving more slowly because he was sore.

Casting the unimportant thought aside, he stepped over to the edge of the pool and climbed down into it. The water instantly soothed his aching muscles, and he sighed in relief. Leaning his head back against the side, he closed his eyes as he let the warmth relax him. This was definitely a better way to unwind after a sparring match than the old ways he’d used to lick his wounds in the outer villages. Even if he’d been lucky enough to take a nap, he’d always woken up feeling sore and lethargic afterward. Compared to that, the bath was a marvelous change.

Crow had expected the silence to last until he parted ways with John, so he was caught off guard when the knight broke it.

“You think too much,” John said, looking at him from across the pool.

The viceroy nearly scoffed. What else was there to do but think when talking would just make him look like a bigger fool? He was about to make the sardonic suggestion that Penelope’s father should come up with something else for them to do if he wasn’t allowed to speak or think, but didn’t get the chance before John continued.

“In battle.”

Now it made more sense.

“You either get too lost in your head or you give in completely to impulse,” the knight analyzed. “You’re going to need to learn how to trust your instincts if you want to improve as a swordsman.”

“So I’ve been told,” Crow rested his arm on the edge of the pool, reminded of Penelope’s same advice to him in Younis. He’d thought he had improved since then, but maybe he hadn’t.

John grunted and fell back into silence. Crow watched him curiously. The knight’s sudden urge to correct him made him wonder. Until now, he’d thought the older man was content with the quiet between them, but perhaps he wanted to talk after all. Maybe he just doesn’t know how to start a conversation that doesn’t involve chiding someone, the realization struck him suddenly.

Taking a chance, he decided to take the liberty of speaking up. “Have you taught many knights before?” he asked. “You seem to be an experienced teacher.”

John turned back to him. “I taught my children,” he answered curtly, then paused before adding. “Despite the overthinking, you do have some talent as a fighter.”

“Thanks,” Crow blinked. Though it had been a little backhanded, that was the most flattering thing the knight had ever said to him. Relaxing a bit more, he grinned at the other man, “You’re not so bad, yourself.”

“I’ve been in this profession nearly twice as long as you’ve been alive,” John said, clearly missing the humor in the viceroy’s words.

Crow rolled his eyes, tempted to prod at the knight some more. Thinking better of it, he said simply: “It shows.”

John grunted again, and for a moment, Crow thought their brief conversation was coming to an end. However, the older man surprised him once more by going on.

“It’s unusual for the king to have you incorporate fighting into your studies so soon,” he said, eyeing the viceroy carefully. “Do you have any idea why he’s rushing your education?”

Crow lifted his gaze to the ceiling in thought. He hadn’t realized his father had been rushing anything, but now that he thought about it, Albin was hurrying him to learn all the skills he needed as soon as possible. “I think I do,” he admitted, meeting John’s gaze with a frown. Though he was hesitant to share what he knew of the king’s plans, this knight was Penelope’s father. The older man should know about the potential opposition standing in his daughter’s way.

He casted a quick look around to make sure they were alone—the other noblemen had long since fled the bathhouse when they had arrived—before he explained in a low voice: “My father told me he’s planning to send me to Gorm as soon as he deems me ready for the journey. He wants me to negotiate with the Gorman king to form an alliance in the war against Younis, so he can conquer their land with overwhelming numbers.” He sighed, leaning back against the wall of the pool. “Apparently his council agreed it was the best decision, and he sounded pretty certain that it was the course of action they’re going to take.”

“I see,” John mused, knitting his brows. “Well, you still have much to learn. There’s still time.”

“Mmh,” Crow shrugged, not quite as confident. He may have had a lot to learn, but he had already demonstrated to his father that he was a quick learner. It wouldn’t take him very long to cover everything he was supposed to know. He couldn’t intentionally slow down either. Albin was sharp. He would notice if his son’s performance took a sudden dip. The best they could hope for was that Penelope would outpace him in her efforts to garner support from the other high-ranking nobles in the kingdom.

Crow and John passed the rest of the time by speaking more with each other. By the end of it, the viceroy felt like he’d gotten Penelope’s father to warm up to him at least a little. The knight didn’t seem quite as tense, but it was hard to tell if it was because of his efforts or because of the soothing effects of the pool. Either way, he felt good about how the exchange had gone and was hopeful that he could convince the older man to see that he was responsible enough to court his daughter.

Once they were done bathing, Crow got out of the water and dried himself with a towel that he’d found near the edge of the room before putting his clothes back on. His tunic and trousers were still dirty, but at least he wasn’t covered in sweat and mud anymore. Plus, the ache of his bruises had faded to just a mild annoyance. Overall, he was feeling much better by the time he and John were ready to head to the Great Hall for supper.

Penelope spent the rest of the day asking various guards, mainly older ones, about having nightmares about their experiences on the warfront. Many shrugged her off and a few others told her to go speak with Eldon. A couple gave her strange looks and clearly seemed to look down on her for even mentioning the dreams. As the time for supper neared, she let out a long sigh and leaned back against the wall of the corridor near the Great Hall. Though she didn't want to give up, she had to admit it was looking less and less likely for her to be able to help Crow.

The knight frowned a little at the thought and crossed her arms over her chest. There had to be a way. There were a ton of knights that worked in the castle, perhaps she had just had an unlucky day of not being able to ask the right ones. Still, it made her wonder how long it would take to find the right ones.

"Ah, Vermillion."

Lost in her thoughts, she nearly didn't even notice someone approaching her. Penelope blinked and lifted her head to see Tybalt walking over to her. She was a bit confused what the captain of the guard needed with her, especially since he had already informed her of her guard shifts. As he reached her, she dipped her head respectfully and looked at him curiously.

"Did you need me for something, sir?" she asked.

"No... But I've heard word from a couple other guards that you've been asking around about how to deal with a certain type of... dream." Tybalt responded.

Penelope cringed slightly at his words, figuring that he was bringing it up due to her upcoming guard shifts. While she wasn't too worried about what others might had thought of her—even though she wasn't really the one having the nightmares—she hadn't consider how it might look when it came to her work. Tybalt was likely worried it'd effect her shifts. "Yes but I'm getting it under control so really it's nothing to worry about." she assured.

"So you're taking Eldon's medicines?"

"No I—"

"That won't do then." Tybalt sighed. He paused and glanced around the corridor before fixating his gaze back onto her. "I have matters to attend to now but tomorrow morning, meet me in the great hall for breakfast. We'll fix this issue."

"Ah but I'd rather not use Eldon's methods.. I prefer to be sober and alert." she said with a small frown.

"As any good knight should." Tybalt mused approvingly. "I won't make you use his methods. But there are other options I'd like to go over with you. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Don't be late, I won't wait." He added strictly before giving her a small nod and then walking off without waiting for a response.

The female knight stared after him and felt a bit of hope stir in her again. It seemed her asking around would pay off, even though it wasn't quite in the way she had previously assumed. Penelope was a bit disappointed she wouldn't be getting any solutions that day but at least she might have something tomorrow. She smiled to herself and then pushed herself off the wall as she made her way to the Great Hall for supper.

“So, where did you pick up all those languages without ever having a proper tutor?”

On the walk to the Great Hall, Crow and John had kept up their idle conversation as a means to pass the time. The talk had slowly turned from a casual exchange into what felt to the viceroy like an interrogation. John had begun to ask him more personal questions in the stead of discussing what his lessons were going to look like or what he should expect if his father ended up sending him on the trip to Gorm. He wondered where the sudden interest had come from, but knowing there was a chance he might pop the fragile bubble of the knight’s newfound trust, he didn’t ask. Whatever it was, he finally had an opportunity to get a little closer with Penelope’s father, and he wasn’t going to pass it up.

“The travelers in the outer villages,” Crow answered with a proud grin. “I used to converse with them as a child, and I just picked up their tongues as I gained experience.”

John grunted. Crow was learning that he did that a lot when he was thinking.

“You managed all that on your own?” the knight queried, to which the viceroy nodded. Another grunt, “I suppose I can see why the king spent so much time trying to track you down.”

Crow shrugged, “He could have been training another apprentice all this time though. I may be quick, but he had no way of knowing whether I would agree to his proposition. To be honest, I’m a little surprised he put so much effort into finding me.”

“It’s hard to say,” John admitted. “But knowing the king, I’m sure he had a reason for it.”

“He did,” Crow frowned, mentally reviewing the talk he’d had with his father upon his arrival at the castle. He casted a short look around before explaining in a low voice, “He said he wanted to make up for the past—to reconnect.” His light green eyes studied John’s deep jade, suddenly uncertain. “You were there. Do you think there was more to it than that?”

The knight pursed his lips, pausing for a moment before he replied, “I would be cautious.”

Crow’s shoulders fell slightly. Though he wasn’t close to his father—he’d used to hate the man—he had recently been starting to hope his preconceptions about him had been wrong. He’d gone for so long without a family. The thought of finally having one again was exciting. However, John knew Albin far better than he did. Perhaps there was more going on than he knew about.

Penelope’s father seemed to sense the viceroy squirm. “Now is not the time to discuss this,” he uttered quietly, his eyes flicking to a guard up ahead. “The Great Hall is around the corner.”

Crow nodded, biting back the questions that had begun to bubble up inside him. He knew the knight was right. With so many unfriendly ears around, any negative talk of the king of Brerra would likely come off as treasonous. So, despite his reservations, he followed wordlessly along until they arrived at the Great Hall for supper.

Right away, the viceroy’s gaze swept over the room in search of Penelope, but he didn’t see her. Supposing he must have arrived first, he bid John a curt goodbye—the older man was already eyeing a table where a few other knights were seated—and made his way over to an empty seat, sliding onto the bench and resting his forearms on the wooden surface. Stifling a yawn, he glanced over the Great Hall once more as he suddenly realized Penelope wasn’t the only one missing. He hadn’t seen Preston since breakfast.

Crow was just about to stand up to get his own supper from the kitchen when, as if on cue, a familiar voice spoke up from behind him.

“There you are,” Preston’s tone nearly sounded scolding. He walked up to the table and crossed his arms. “I was waiting for you in your chamber all evening to walk you to the Great Hall. Surely your lesson didn’t take that—” Abruptly, he halted, his dark eyes roving down and up the viceroy’s frame. “Did you fall in the river?”

Crow snorted at the absurd accusation, “I took a bath.”

“Willingly?”

“Yes,” the former thief rolled his eyes. “That knight had me rolling in the dirt, so I decided to clean myself up.”

Preston studied him closely, “He told you to, didn’t he?”

Crow flushed at the attendant’s surprisingly accurate statement. “Alright, fine,” he grumbled irritably. “But he didn’t make me do anything. It was still my decision.”

Preston shrugged.

The viceroy shook his head, “Why don’t you just cut the accusations and bring me my supper?”

“Alright,” the attendant dipped his head and walked off, leaving Crow behind to wait for his evening meal.

Penelope arrived at the Great Hall and began to look around for Crow. She soon spotted the viceroy sitting at one of the tables and smiled faintly as she made her way over to join him. The knight sat down across from him and casted him a small smirk. While eager to tell him that there was hope for dealing with his dreams, she also remembered that he had spent the day training with her father. "Well, I'm glad to see you survived training with my father." she mused. "Hopefully he wasn't too hard on you."

She was just about to go on to tell him about how she might be able to find a way to help him when an approaching figure caught her attention. She turned her head to see Naida making her way over to join them with a wide grin. The knight's smile wavered slightly. While she was glad to see her friend, she had been hoping to speak a bit privately with Crow at least for a moment. It's not like I have any answers for him yet anyways so I guess it's not a big deal.. she thought.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." Naida grinned as she slid in besides Penelope.

"Of course not." Penelope rolled her eyes at her friend. "We were just talking about how his lesson with my father went today."

Naida blinked and then turned to Crow. "Wait, you're being trained by John?" she asked curiously.

Alone at his table, Crow folded his arms on the surface and looked over the crowd of nobles in the Great Hall. He was beginning to recognize a few more faces around the castle. Wayne and Robyn were dining off to his left with a few other men he didn’t know, Percival was seated nearby with a group of knights, and Adam was across the room, casting him infrequent glares as usual. Though not all of them were friendly, he was starting to get used to seeing them in the palace. It was a strange sort of acclimation, but now that some of the unfamiliar faces had names attached, he was beginning to feel a little more at home here.

The viceroy was drawn from his thoughts when he spotted someone approaching his table. Turning to see who it was, he smiled as his eyes fell on Penelope. Though he had spent some time with her earlier at breakfast, his heart still raced with excitement upon seeing her again.

At her comment about his training with her father, Crow snorted and opened his mouth to respond. However, he didn’t get a chance before his gaze landed on a second person walking over to join them. Having been eager to spend a little more time alone with Penelope, he felt a slight twinge of disappointment when Naida sat down next to the knight. He brushed it off quickly though. His sister wasn’t really disrupting anything, since they weren’t talking about anything private, and he did enjoy her company too. There was no reason to push her away.

“Yes, apparently father decided he would be a good teacher for me,” he answered the princess’s question with a shrug. “I’m not so sure I agree.” He made an exaggerated grimace as he rubbed the spot where John had struck him on his left side. “It felt more like he was using me as a training dummy than teaching me to fight. I’m going to be sore for weeks.”

Penelope gave an amused look as Crow answered Naida's question. The knight wasn't too surprised to hear her father had been a bit rough on him. After all, John still didn't appear overly fond of him and from what she could remember about her own training with him, he was a bit of a tough teacher. Tough meaning he wouldn't hold back completely when striking a student. She could only assume it was a bit worse than usual though considering his rocky relationship with the former thief.

"Oh it can't possibly be that bad!" Naida laughed and looked over to her friend for confirmation.

"I don't know.. When I was old enough to begin training, I remember getting quite a few bruises from it." Penelope replied with a smirk. She crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back slight as she spotted the servants making their way over with their plates of food. She gave a polite dip of her head as the one placed her plate down in front of her. Next to her, she noticed Naida wait for the plates to be placed down before turning backed to Penelope while Preston tested Crow's food.

"Really? I would have thought he'd go easy on his children." Naida mused. "Plus considering Collin's title.."

"Clearly you haven't been around my father very much." Penelope gave a small laugh and shook her head. She looked across the table at Crow and casted him a subtle, knowing smile. "I'm sure he didn't go easy on you." The knight gave a small shrug and took a bite from her food.

When Naida disagreed with him, Crow opened his mouth to explain just how bad his training session with John had been. However, before he had a chance to speak, Penelope did first. He glanced at her in mild surprise as she confirmed that her father had been just as harsh with her when she had been his student. John was a strict knight, but it was unexpected to the viceroy that he would have been so ruthless with his own daughter. It seemed the older man didn’t play favorites with anyone.

Naida echoed his thoughts, and Crow nodded before turning to watch the small procession of palace servants whom had arrived to bring them all their suppers. His stomach growled in anticipation. After spending the whole afternoon sparring with John, he’d worked up quite an appetite and was eager to sate it.

He impatiently drummed his fingers against his knee below the table as Preston tested his food. As soon as the boy deemed the meal safe to eat, the viceroy dug into it with the zeal of a starving man. To his pleasure, the kitchen was serving smoked venison that evening. He sighed contentedly as the savory flavor of the meat filled his mouth.

Crow’s attention was drawn back to the two noblewomen when Penelope addressed him. “He certainly did not,” he agreed through a mouthful of food, all etiquette forgotten as he strived to fill his empty stomach. “I’m just glad I don’t have to train with him every day.”

“Don’t let Udolf catch you acting like this or he’ll give you a lecture that’s just as painful,” Naida snickered.

Crow rolled his eyes, “I just can’t catch a break from anyone, can I?”

“That’s nobility for you,” his sister shrugged.

“It will get better when I’m done with all this training though, right?”

“Probably,” she mused. “It definitely won’t be as busy.”

“Thank the gods,” he muttered, popping another bite of venison into his mouth and turning to Penelope with a shake of his head. “I don’t know when you all find time to get done the things you aren’t obligated to do around here.”

Penelope smirked a little in amusement as Crow seemed to forget his etiquette and responded to her with a mouthful of food. The knight gave a small nod in agreement with her words though, after Naidai spoke up, she wasn't sure his usual tutor was a better option. At least Udolf wouldn't give him any bruises though so she supposed that was one plus side.

She gave a small nod in agreement with Naida's words as the princess mentioned how it likely wouldn't be as busy once he was done with training. She took a bite of her food, chewing thoughtfully. It was likely that things would slow down a bit after that, provided the king didn't have plans to send him out on some mission right away. Penelope hoped that wouldn't be the case even though she wasn't completely sure she wouldn't be returning to the warfront. As Crow turned to her, she was drawn out of her thoughts and gave him a small smile.

"Well, luckily I don't have guard duty every day so that certainly helps." Penelope mused with a shrug.

"Yeah once you're training's over you'll have more time and more of an actual life in the castle that isn't just all work." Naida chuckled.

Penelope nodded and drummed her fingers against the table for a moment before taking a couple more bites of her food. Her plans for the following day popped into her mind, wondering what Tybalt would tell her to help with Crow's nightmares. He claimed not to want to use Eldon's methods so the knight was hopeful. Her green gaze flickered across the table to look at Crow, feeling a hint of eagerness to tell him about her discoveries. Even though she had no solid answers yet, she hoped that by tomorrow she would.

Having finished her meal, she gave a small stretch and slowly rose to her feet. "I better head off. Tybalt wants to speak with me about something tomorrow morning." she mused to Naida while casting Crow a subtle look.

Crow gave a one-shouldered shrug when Penelope pointed out that she didn’t have guard duty every day. He wondered if his tutors ever planned to give him a day off or if he would be kept busy every afternoon until his training was complete. He hoped they would let him rest sometime. If they expected him to keep up with this rigorous schedule every day for a whole month, they had another thing coming. He needed to recuperate sometime or else his performance was going to wane—and that was only if he didn’t start skipping lessons first.

“I hope so,” he muttered in response to his sister. As things were, it was hard for him to imagine having any sort of a “life” in the castle. Everything nobles seemed to do for fun were uninteresting to him, and he was quite sure that anything he found enjoyable would just get him into trouble with his father. He thoughtfully chewed another bite of food. Well, there were some things he might be able to do if he ever found himself with free time. During his time with the other thieves, he had gotten skilled at hunting. Even though he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the noblemen who hunted on horseback, he felt confident that he could best them with a bow from the ground.

There were also plenty of places around the inner kingdom to explore. The cities around the castle may not have had the same charm as the villages that he had grown up with, but they were still fascinating to him. He would have liked to get to know the area better, especially since he was going to be living here indefinitely.

After a period of silence, Penelope’s voice drew Crow from his thoughts. He looked up with a frown as she announced that she had to go. However, catching her gaze, he caught the look she was casting him. His eyes flicked toward Naida for a moment before he stood up as well. “I should get going too,” he yawned, stretching his arms tiredly. “I need to sleep off this soreness.”

“You’re both leaving me already?” Naida pouted. Crow shrugged, and she let out a sigh. “Fine, but you’d better stick around longer next time! We need to catch up.” She winked at her brother and gestured subtly at Penelope.

Crow rolled his eyes, “Only if you don’t mind explaining to Udolf why I’m late for my lesson.”

“Aw, he likes me, so that won’t be a problem,” Naida grinned.

“It’s your funeral,” Crow snorted. He raised his hand in a brief wave as he turned to walk after Penelope. “See you later.”

“Bye, Collin!” Naida returned the gesture.

With that, Crow headed away from the table and trotted to catch up with the knight. He casted her a curious look when he reached her side, “Did you have something you wanted to talk about?”

Penelope gave Naida an apologetic smile as she pouted and gave a small wave to her friend before she turned to leave. Crow seemed to have caught her subtle glance, which made the knight smile more earnestly as she began to walk towards the exit of the Great Hall. She purposely walked at a slightly slower pace than usual to allow the viceroy to catch up with her easily. As she expected, he caught up to her quickly. Looking over at him, she nodded her head and gave him a small, hopeful smile.

"I did." she confirmed then paused, shifting her gaze around to make sure no one was close enough to over hear them. Satisfied that most around were involved in their own conversations and dinner she focused her gaze back on Crow. "I started looking into ways to help with your nightmare problem." she told him, lowering her voice as an added precaution.

"First off, I talked to Eldon today and he did have some...solutions." the knight let out a soft sigh. "A medicine of sorts that he basically explained to be similar to a painkiller in the way that they make you hallucinate. He also claimed drinking could help." She shook her head. "I was rather certain you wouldn't like either of those options so I didn't even bother taking the medicine... Especially considering you still have quite a few enemies around here." Perhaps under different circumstances that knight would have pushed for him to try the medicine but it was too risky. Fischbach was likely still lying in wait to try and target the former thief again.

Penelope looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "I think I'm onto something though. Eldon said there were others that refused his treatment that might have a different way of dealing with it. Actually, that's why I'm speaking to Tybalt tomorrow... Word seemed to have reached him about me asking around about such things and he wanted to go over some alternative options. It sounds like he might have something that could work for you."

Crow glanced over his shoulder when Penelope confirmed that she had caught his attention because she had something to talk about. After taking a moment to make sure they were far enough away from the other nobles in the Great Hall to speak freely, he turned back to listen as she began to explain herself. He raised a brow at her words. With everything else that had been going on that day, he’d nearly forgotten that she had been planning to ask around about his nightmares. He wondered if she had pulled him aside because she had actually found something to help. His heart skipped at the thought, but he maintained a bit of wariness despite his blooming hope. It still seemed impossible that anyone in the castle could do something to change the inner workings of his mind.

She probably just wants to update me on the progress of her search, he reasoned, letting the burst of hope simmer back down as he continued to listen to her go on.

Penelope spoke about her meeting with the court physician, and Crow felt more confident that his guess had been correct. He wrinkled his nose at the mention of a medicine that would make him hallucinate. After enduring Hazel’s draught for his pain, he didn’t want to try anything like that ever again. Plus, he couldn’t see how a remedy like that would cure his nightmares. If anything, it sounded like it would only make them more vivid. An image of the slaughter passed through his mind, and he shuddered. No, he definitely didn’t want to risk making the memories any more realistic than they already were.

The viceroy opened his mouth to tell her that he wasn’t going to try Eldon’s solutions, but found that he didn’t need to as she said that she already knew he wasn’t going to like them. He nodded in agreement when she brought up the fact that he had quite a few enemies in and around the castle. It had been bad enough when he’d been under the influence of Hazel’s medicine in the middle of the knights’ camp before. Now, he had much more to lose if someone took advantage of his loose tongue. He had to be careful so he wouldn’t lose his title as his father’s ambassador.

As Penelope went on to say that she might have found something useful, Crow met her gaze in surprise. He had been expecting her to come back with nothing, so even though he was still doubtful that there was a remedy for his nightmares, he listened to her explanation with newfound interest.

“We’ll see,” he shrugged once she finished telling him about her findings and then casted her a fond smile. “Either way, I’m impressed you covered so much ground in just one day. You’re pretty quick, love.”

Penelope looked over at him with a hint of pride in her hopeful gaze as she waited for him to react to her news about what she had found out. The knight was feeling rather confident that she was on track to figuring out some way to help him with his nightmares. Unfortunately, the viceroy didn't seem to fully reciprocate her hopefulness. While she caught the surprise in his gaze at her words, his doubtful words made her let out a small sigh.

She was a bit disappointed that he still didn't seem as convinced as her that there was a better way to deal with his dreams. However, she was already on track to figuring out a solution so she didn't dwell on the feeling for long. Instead, she quickly perked up a bit at his fond words. "I don't lollygag," she told him with a playful smirk. Her expression softened a bit as she added,"especially when it comes to making sure you're alright."

The knight gave a teasing wink. "Luckily for you, I think I'm becoming quite the expert at it." Penelope grinned up at him then shifted her gaze ahead as they drew further from the Great Hall. Her smile died down a bit as she realized it was time for her to head off to her own room. While she was glad they got to spend some time together, it always seemed so short to her. Penelope sighed, "I suppose better head off. I won't be able to see you for breakfast so maybe I'll catch you for supper... And hopefully with some good news."

Crow laughed softly at Penelope’s comment, casting her a fond look. Even though he doubted she was going to learn anything useful during her search for a cure for his nightmares, he appreciated that she cared enough about him to keep looking. He just hoped she wouldn’t be too stubborn when she came up without an answer. The last thing he wanted was for her to waste all her time on this little project when she could be making better use of it by convincing his father to end the war. In his mind, that was the biggest priority. Sure, his dreams were frustrating, but he was sure he could handle them on his own, and they were nowhere near as important as Toreus’s warning to the knight.

When Penelope announced that she had to go back to her room for the night, Crow sighed. He wished they could have more time together, but they couldn’t risk lingering around each other for much longer without raising suspicion. Besides that, his exhaustion from the long day was catching up to him fast. He lightly bit the tip of his tongue as he stifled a weary yawn. As much as he wanted to keep talking to the knight, the thought of laying down in a soft bed was growing more appealing by the second. He just hoped this night would be better than the last.

“Alright,” Crow nodded at her with a tired smile. “Good luck tomorrow, love. I’ll see you at supper.” Since they were still in a public hallway, he dipped his head to her in a formal goodbye rather than gathering her in his arms as he longed to do. With nothing left to say, he headed toward the stairs that would take him up to his bed chamber in the upper level of the castle, finally letting loose the yawn he had been suppressing before.

When he got there, he stretched lethargically and made his way over to the bed. However, instead of laying down right away, he wavered by the edge, suddenly hesitant to go to sleep. Another image of his nightmare flashed through his mind, and he grimaced. Despite his bold words, he didn’t want to face it again. He turned away from the bed.

Fighting against his exhaustion, the viceroy paced anxiously along the edge of his room, hoping the motion would help him to stay awake. The trick worked for a while, but eventually he grew too tired to keep it up. He yawned again and casted the bed a leery glance, swaying slightly on his feet from weariness. As much as he wished he could stay up all night, he knew he should at least try to get a little sleep before the sun came up. After all, he was going to have another tutoring session tomorrow, and he couldn’t show up to it half asleep.

So, swallowing nervously, he finally folded to his tiredness and made his way over to the bed, passing out almost as soon as he laid his head on the pillow.

"See you." Penelope offered him a small smile before turning and heading off to her own room. She rolled her shoulders and let out a small yawn. After feeling like she had been running around the castle all day, the knight was more than ready to lay down for the night, eager for the next day to come so she could possibly get some answers for Crow.

She soon reached her room and slipped off her boots as she climbed into bed for the night. With a little bit less worry on her mind, it didn't take long for her to fall asleep once she settled down in the comfort and warmth of her bed.

--

The next morning Penelope began to stir when a firm knock sounded from her door. Tired, the knight ignored it at first and nearly fell right back to sleep until it came again, seeming to get a bit louder. She lifted her head and let out a sigh, wondering who was at her door so early in the morning. She yawned and stretched for a moment before sliding to the edge of the bed. "One moment!" she called as she located her boots. Slipping them on, she got up and stepped over to open the door, finding it was her father on the other side.

"Morning... Did you need me for something, father?" she asked with a hint of confusion.

"No. I came to get you because a certain vassal is requesting to speak with you." John explained crossing his arms. As she raised an eyebrow at him, he went on, "Oliver and Dimia Lenz are here to talk with you about the letter you sent him."

Her eyes widened. After silence from Oliver for the last week, Penelope assumed that he had simply chosen to ignore her call for the end of the war. He was a quiet person after all and the knight didn't doubt Dimia would disapprove of offering her any aid. To hear that he had came in person to see her rather than just sending a letter was surprising to say the least. "Oh... Ok. I'll see them now then. Where are they?" she asked.

"In one of the studies on this floor. I'll take you to them... I'd suggest straightening your appearance out a bit more before we go though." John mused with a glance at her bed hair.

Penelope blinked and then blushed a little before nodding her head. "Right. One moment." The knight ducked back into her room, locating a comb and running it through her hair a few times. She straightened out her clothing a bit as well. She wasn't exactly on excellent terms with the Lenz's, namely Dimia, and while that normally didn't bother her, she couldn't risk losing the potential support for the end of the war. Which meant she had to be presentable and act politely.

The knight returned to the door and stepped out of her room. Looking to her father, she gave a small nod. "Alright let's go." she said. John nodded his head and turned beginning to lead her towards the study room.

The next morning was just as stressful as the last two had been for Crow. As was becoming normal, he woke up in a cold sweat, wide-eyed and trembling from the aftereffects of his recurring nightmare. He lowered his head into his hands as he tried to orient himself, panting to get his breath back. It took some time, although he wasn’t sure how much, before he finally came back to himself enough to realize where he was. Exhaling slowly, he let his hands fall to his lap again and looked up. His bed chambers were the same as the day before. There were no screaming villagers or bloodthirsty thieves. It had all been a dream again.

Off to the side, Preston sat at the table by the window, observing him with a strange look—pity, perhaps? Whatever it was, it only served to make the viceroy feel more embarrassed about being seen in his current state. He didn’t want to come across so weak. To be frightened into shock by a nightmare of all things… it was pathetic. But unfortunately, there wasn’t much he could do to hide it. His terror gripped him too firmly for him to act like everything was fine.

Once the attendant saw that he had calmed down, he stood up and stepped over to his bedside. “Water?” he offered, tentatively holding out a full glass that he had brought to the room.

Crow eyed the drink for a moment without moving. His pride wanted him to turn down the offer just to be obstinate—he could take care of himself, after all—but his sore throat was a bit more persuasive. He took the glass with a quiet “thanks” and lifted it to his lips, downing the whole thing in a few large gulps.

Preston dipped his head in response. A brief quiet fell between them before he spoke again in a hesitant voice, “So… are you still not going to tell me what’s going on?”

Crow shook his head, “There’s no point.”

“I wouldn’t tell anyone else, you know,” Preston frowned. “If it’s because you’re worried I’ll start a rumor—”

“It’s not that,” Crow interrupted, averting his gaze. “It’s just not something I take any pleasure in discussing, so I’d rather not talk about it at all… not to you or anyone else.”

The attendant pursed his lips, seeming ready to keep pressing him for information. However, after a moment, he let out a sigh instead. “Fine,” he relented. He shifted his weight slightly before adding: “I just want you to know that if you ever decide you want to share this burden, whatever it is, with someone else… you can trust me.”

Crow turned toward him again, slightly surprised by the offer. He wasn’t used to other people volunteering to “share his burdens” so selflessly. Even when he’d lived with the other thieves, they had all kept to themselves unless their burdens had impacted anyone else. It was strangely warming to know that the servant cared enough to make such a gesture.

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind,” he said genuinely. Even though he doubted he would choose to open up about the traumatic parts of his past to Preston, he wanted the boy to know that he wasn’t closing the door all the way.

Preston nodded, seeming satisfied. “Would you like to get dressed for breakfast?” he asked, moving on from the subject now that they had reached something of an agreement.

“Yeah,” Crow swung his legs over the edge of the bed and then froze, wincing suddenly.

“Are you alright?” Preston knitted his brow.

“I’m fine,” Crow answered, wrinkling his nose as he rubbed his side. “That Vermillion just bruised me pretty good yesterday.”

“Oh,” the attendant studied him thoughtfully. “Do you need help?”

“No. I can get dressed by myself.”

“If you say so.”

With a bit of effort, Crow climbed down from the bed and made his way over to the wardrobe to get ready. It took him longer than usual, since he had to move carefully to keep from straining the various bruises on his body, but he managed to dress himself without assistance. Once he was ready to go, he and Preston headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.

--

“No, no, definitely Priscilla.”

Crow rested his chin in his palm and sighed softly. Since Penelope was busy that morning, he had sat down at a table with Wayne, Robyn, and a couple other noblemen he didn’t know. So far, the group had spent most of the meal discussing which noblewomen they were trying to court and bickering whenever they found out two of them were vying for the same woman’s attention. The viceroy found the conversation to be boring. Perhaps if he didn’t already have Penelope, he would have been more interested in talking about women, but as things were, it wasn’t really a topic he could participate in.

As the others went on, he turned his attention to his food, popping a bite of bread into his mouth and chewing slowly as his mind wandered to his upcoming lesson with Udolf. He wondered what the old man was going to teach him next, since he had already made so much progress with his ability to read and write. He felt like he had even reached a point where he could virtually teach himself what he didn’t know—aside, of course, from punctuation, which still confused him quite a bit.

He was so caught up in his musings that he didn’t hear Robyn address him.

“Hey, Collin,” the nobleman gave his shoulder a prod. “Are you still with us?”

“Huh?” Crow blinked.

Robyn smirked, “I asked you what your type is.”

“My type?” the viceroy echoed confusedly, having disengaged from the conversation long enough that he didn’t know what the noble was talking about.

“Yeah,” the other man grinned. “You haven’t said a word about any of the women we’ve brought up. What kind of ladies suit your fancy?”

Crow took a moment to think. He already knew the answer—he’d figured out his “type” long ago—but he was still hesitant to talk about himself to other people. He didn’t like letting them know any more about him than they already did. But, then again, what was the harm in sharing what sort of women he was attracted to? It was harmless information as far as he could tell.

“Well,” he started slowly, drawing the rest of the table’s attention when he spoke up. He guessed they were all curious to find out if the opinion of a former peasant was different than their own. “I suppose my ideal woman would be brunette. She’d have fair skin with a little color from the sun to show that she isn’t afraid of spending time outdoors, and she’d have a kind smile. Of course, I’d like her to have curves too, but I’d also want her to be fit enough to keep up with me in more strenuous activities.” The other men whistled suggestively at that, and Crow blushed. He had been thinking of the occasional escapades he’d had to perform in the outer villages when he’d made the comment. However, he supposed their interpretation hadn’t really been wrong though, so he didn’t bother to correct them.

“I think you’d really like Bethany,” Robyn proposed. “She’s the daughter of a baron from Bexley, and she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty.”

“Or Alice,” another man suggested.

“Maybe he should even join your pursuit of Priscilla,” a third man nudged Robyn teasingly. “She’s just as adventurous as Bethany.”

Robyn blanched, “W-Well, I think he’d like Bethany better, since Priscilla is blonde…”

“You’re just scared she’ll pick him over you because he’s a viceroy,” the other man laughed, making Robyn turn red.

“It doesn’t matter who she’d pick,” Wayne rolled his eyes. “I’ve already introduced Collin to Mercia, and they got along great, right?” He turned expectantly to Crow, who was staring at them wordlessly.

As the noblemen continued to argue amongst themselves, the viceroy sank a little further down in his seat. He hadn’t expected them to start giving him suggestions, but he supposed he should have known better. He and Alistair had had similar conversations in the past, but neither of them knew enough women in the outer villages to give each other ideas. These men seemed to know the names of all the women in the castle. He wished he could just tell them that he was already with someone else, but he was still hesitant to reveal his relationship with Penelope to anyone else yet.

He was just beginning to figure out how he was going to get out of the mess he’d landed himself in, when the table suddenly quieted of its own accord. Crow glanced between the other noblemen curiously, wondering why they had fallen silent, and then blinked as he realized they were all staring at something over his shoulder. Turning around in his seat, his eyes widened slightly when his gaze fell on his father. He’d never seen Albin come to the Great Hall outside of a banquet.

“Ah, Collin, I was hoping I would find you here,” the king said, seeming amused by the other men’s reaction as he approached their table.

“Did you need something?” Crow asked.

“Yes,” Albin nodded. “I’ve got a task for you today. If you’re finished eating, I’ll need you to come with me.”

“Alright,” Crow stood up from the table and glanced at the others with a shrug. “Guess I’ll see you blokes around some other time.”

“R-Right,” Robyn said distantly, watching the king with a mixture of surprise and reverence.

“See you later, Collin,” Wayne was no better as he kept his gaze fixed on Albin.

The viceroy rolled his eyes, finding their reactions to be a bit extreme. His father may have been the king, but he was still a man. These nobles were acting like they were in the presence of a god. He’s not even close to that, he thought, sneaking a glance at Albin as he thought about his encounter with Aeklora two years ago.

“Come along,” the king beckoned for his viceroy as he turned back to the exit of the Great Hall.

Crow followed at his heel, curious to find out what sort of task his father planned to give him.

The study that John had taken her to was quaint. It was clear that while Oliver was a well respected vassal, he still didn't receive the luxuries of a higher ranking noble like Adam. She suspected that his arrival at the castle had gone rather unnoticed aside from the guards who had to approve his entry. As she stepped further into the room, her gaze landed on Oliver and Dimia. The vassal was sitting a bit rigidly as he flipped through what seemed to be a journal. Upon her entry, his gaze flickered up and he slowly lowered the book to look over at her, dipping his head formally in greeting.

Dimia, on the other hand, was sitting with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at the wall. As her gaze shifted onto Penelope, her nose wrinkled as if she had smelled something foul. However, despite her already less than friendly attitude, the noblewoman did give her a curt nod of acknowledgement. Penelope returned the gesture and then paused as a brief yet tense silence followed. It was quickly broken by John as he stepped out of the room.

"I'll be taking my leave then. The guards in the halls are aware of you staying in this room so if you need anything else, feel free to ask them, sir." he told Oliver.

"Yes. Thank you." Oliver said nodding his head appreciatively.

John dipped his head to him and then gave Penelope a subtle, supportive nod before turning and heading out of the room. She waited for the door to shut before turning her attention back onto the couple. The knight let out a small breath and moved to take a sit in an empty chair across from the bench they were seated on. "My father told me you wanted to speak with me about the letter I sent you... So what did you want to say?" she asked curiously.

"Right... Well.. I think it'd be wise to support your decision to end the war." Oliver explained shuffling his feet as he glanced at Dimia before looking back to Penelope. "If things are how you described, I don't see this war working out in anyone's favor."

"I'm glad to hear that and I'm thankful for your support but I have to ask, why not just respond to my letter rather than coming all the way to the castle?" Penelope asked.

A huff came from Dimia. "Because we feel it'd be in everyone's best interest to help you more than just responding with a letter." She drummed her fingers against her arms and pursed her lips before adding, "Gavin wrote to me... He seems to be completely on board with this little plan of yours and specifically asked for us to assist you.. He's my brother so I had to agree."

Penelope suppressed a smile that threatened to take over her lips. Now it made sense why they had suddenly appeared to respond to her letter. It had likely been ignored at first due to Dimia's interference until she received whatever letter Gavin had sent her. It seemed that she owed Gavin quite a bit of thanks for giving his sister a small push to help out.

"I see." Penelope nodded and glanced between the two with a hint of confusion in her gaze. "So how do you plan on helping then if not by letters?"

At the question, a light seemed to spark in Dimia's previously sour gaze. A proud smirk found its way onto her lips. "With an elegant party of course! We'll invite as many noblemen and women as we can and throw a grand party that will gain their favor when it comes time for asking them to support our cause."

Penelope raised an eyebrow at the noblewoman. "A party? I'm not sure if that's the best form of approach to something like this..."

Dimia gave an annoyed look but before she could protest, Oliver jumped in. "I understand your hesitations but you'll be able to reach more people faster this way. Not to mention, people are easier to convince when they're drunk. We'll have a petition to sign at the party, a call for ends to war that all the guests will be encouraged to sign. It'd certainly be easier than collecting a ton of letters." he explained calmly.

Penelope fell quiet for a moment as she thought over this new proposition. While a big party wasn't exactly something she wanted to do for a cause such as this, she had to admit that it could be quite effective. Nobles were drawn like flies to parties. If word got around, she could expand her reach greatly and possibly get quite a bit of support. Working alongside Dimia wasn't exactly appealing, but the knight couldn't deny that she was beginning to approve of their idea. If it worked, the end of the war could be just on the horizon.

Determination sparked in her gaze at the thought and she glanced between the two, "Alright... so how would we go about this?"