[IC] Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

[Rogue Sloth]

On the way back to his room, Crow’s mind wandered back to the events of the day. He hadn’t had much time to think about it earlier, but now that he was alone, he was starting to get a little more curious about what some of his lessons were going to look like in the near future. Part of him was glad that he wouldn’t have to spend every day with Udolf anymore, but he as also a bit nervous about who his other teachers were going to be.

For one thing, he and John hadn’t been on the greatest of terms for at least two weeks, so the idea of spending a whole afternoon with the other man made him cringe. He hoped that Penelope’s father would be more focused on teaching him to fight and ride horseback than he would be to interrogate him about his relationship with his daughter. If John tried to use their time to berate him for being “irresponsible,” he already knew he wasn’t going to enjoy his lessons with the knight.

His own father was more of a wild card. Since he still didn’t know Albin very well, he had no idea what to expect from him in an educational setting. He wanted to believe his father would be the most enjoyable of his teachers, but there was always a chance that he would turn out to be as strict as Udolf. The thought was worrying, since his father was the only person in the kingdom who had the power to remove him from his position as viceroy. He was nervous that if he let the king down by not learning fast enough, he would have his title stripped from him, and all his efforts to give Penelope a better life would be ruined.

Crow was so lost in his musings that he almost didn’t hear Preston’s voice from behind him. He stopped walking up the stairs that led to the third floor and turned around as the attendant called his name.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Preston frowned, breathing a little heavier after he’d rushed to catch up with him.

“Just back to my room,” Crow shrugged.

“I didn’t even see you leave the Great Hall.”

“That’s because I wanted to get away from those people I was sitting with,” the viceroy shook his head.

“Why were you sitting with them if you don’t like them?” the servant asked.

“I wouldn’t have if I’d known why they’d asked me to join them,” he snorted. “They were trying to arrange a courtship between me and that woman.”

“Oh,” Preston seemed to understand. “And you can’t court her because you’re smitten with Penelope.”

Crow almost nodded, and then blinked as he realized what the attendant had said. “No,” he gave the boy’s arm a shove. “I can’t court her because I don’t want to court anyone right now.”

“Anyone but Penelope.”

“You’re infuriating sometimes. You know that?” Crow said dryly.

Preston just shrugged.

Crow shook his head and turned to continue walking up the steps with his attendant following closely behind. When he got back to his bedchamber, he took a quick look around to see if anyone else was inside, although it seemed like Penelope hadn’t arrived yet, because the room was empty.

Stepping over to his bed, he sat on the edge and bent down to take off his boots. Preston stayed put by the door.

“Do you need anything else tonight?” the attendant asked, leaning back against the wall.

“No,” Crow replied without looking up. “You can go if you’d like.”

“Okay,” Preston dipped his head to the viceroy. “Goodnight.”

“’Night,” Crow said, watching as the boy exited the room.

Now alone, he stood up from his bed and stepped over to the wardrobe, where he changed into the more comfortable linen clothes that he would wear for the night. He supposed he had been a bit spoiled with the luxuries of his new life, but he wasn’t going to turn down soft nightclothes for his pride’s sake.

Once he was dressed again, he walked back to his bed and sat on the mattress with his legs crossed, reaching beneath the pillow where he’d hidden the box that held his quill and journal. Already, he could feel excitement bubble up inside of him at the thought of reaching out to Hazel and the others after going nearly a week and a half since he’d last seen them. Even though he couldn’t be part of their lives in the same way as he used to be, he wanted to stay in touch with them from a distance as long as he could.

Opening the box up, Crow removed the objects inside and set them down on the bed beside him to use later. As he did, he suddenly heard a quiet knock at the door. He looked up and smiled as his eyes landed on Penelope. “And it’s just me,” he said in return, gesturing to the empty room to show her that they were alone.

Uncrossing his legs, he climbed down from the bed and made his way over to greet her at the door with a kiss. “I missed you at supper,” he murmured, gently brushing a lock of hair from her face. “Hopefully we’ll have plenty of time together now though.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smiled as he announced that they were alone. She moved to meet him and met his lips as he greeted her with a kiss. "I missed you too." she sighed softly. The knight wrapped her arms loosely around him and pressed closer to him. Now that there wasn't anything to worry about other than writing mere letters, she fully intended to savor their time together before she had to retire to her own room.

"Speaking of supper, I'm sure yours must have been interesting." she said teasingly. "Naida was very concerned about whatever was going on between you and that woman." The knight shook her head and leaned up to press a quick kiss to his cheek. "She's still very hellbent on us courting... Honestly I feel bad for having to deny it so much." She let her arms fall back to her sides and stepped away from him to walk over to the table. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out the two letters she had brought with her and set them down.

Turning back over to him, she casted him an amused smile. "At least Olivia's not here to make things worse though.. She's already questioning me why we're not bothering to say anything yet. Speaking of which, I need to get my letters to her and Gavin written.. Are you ready to start your letter to Hazel and the others?"

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow wrinkled his nose when Penelope brought up his supper with the Cardonells. He wasn’t surprised that Naida had been bothered by that fact that he’d been eating with them. After all, Mercia hadn’t disguised the purpose of their meeting very well with that eye-catching dress she’d worn. It wouldn’t have taken much for his sister to realize that the two nobles had been trying to rope him into a courtship. Of course, she’d had nothing to worry about though. His relationship with Penelope aside, he wouldn’t have been interested in someone like Wayne’s sister. Mercia may have been attractive on the outside, but her personality hadn’t been appealing to him in the slightest. Marrying her wouldn’t have been very different than marrying a carved statue.

He smiled and wrapped his arms around the knight a little tighter as she kissed him, feeling a burst of affection for the woman he did love. When she pulled back from him and walked over to the table, he trailed after her. “I don’t feel bad,” he said carelessly. “She’s been pestering us about it so much that it’s kind of nice to get back at her this way. Speaking of which,” he shook his head exasperatedly. “Preston’s been on my case about us too lately. He isn’t trying to push us to court like my sister is, but he’s convinced that there’s more going on than we’re telling people. He may be quiet, but he’s a lot sharper than I thought.”

When Penelope asked him if he was ready to start his letter to his companions, Crow nodded. “Udolf just started me on writing today,” he said, stepping over to his bed to retrieve the journal and quill that he’d left on the mattress. “I think I’ve got the hang of it for the most part, but spelling is still difficult, since there are so many combinations of letters that make similar sounds. I don’t yet have the practice to remember how to use them all.”

He sat down at the table and looked up at her with a grin, “I was hoping you would be able to help with that part.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope frowned a little as Crow also mentioned that Preston was bugging him as well. The knight had worried that the attendant might have picked up a bit on their closeness and hearing that he had didn't ease that. She'd just have to try and act a bit more carefully when he was around and hope that he wasn't one to go gossiping. He may just be a servant but that didn't mean he couldn't spread the word through the castle if anyone were to question him.

As he went on to say that Udolf had begun teaching him how to write, the knight's smile returned. "Of course. That's what I'm here for." she said as looked to her with a grin. She leaned down to press a kiss to his temple before moving to pull up another chair next to him. "I'm honestly impressed by how fast you must be learning all of this. It's barely over a week since you've even been here." Of course, she hadn't really seen his progress first hand but if he was already moving onto writing, she assumed that he was learning at a rather fast rate.

Sitting down besides him, she grabbed her own supplies from what was on the table, including the spare quill. She shifted the ink to sit between them and adjusted the paper in front of her. "Just keep in mind that whatever you tell them, you'll also probably be telling Olivia. Knowing her, she'll likely read it before she gives it to Alistair." she reminded him with a smirk. Penelope rested her arm against the table and glanced down at his paper. "Just tell me if you get stuck on anything."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow chuckled softly when Penelope kissed him on the head. He was glad that she was willing to help him write to his companions. Even though he felt like Hazel would be able to understand his letter for the most part if he wrote it by himself, it would be nice to compose something that the herbalist could read without much strain. To do that, he was going to need the knight’s help, since the best he could do at the moment was guess his way through each word and hope he was at least close to spelling them all correctly.

When Penelope commented that she was impressed with pace he’d been learning, Crow grinned at her proudly. “Languages have always come easily for me. Written language is just another form of it,” he explained, dipping his quill in the ink pot and swirling it once. “I think it would take me a lot longer to learn if I didn’t already know how to speak Missenar though. It helps that the words are already familiar to me. I just needed to learn what they look like on paper.”

He tapped the quill against the edge of the ink pot to let the excess drip off before he opened his journal and careful tore out the first page by the seam. “Now that I think about it, Naida told me that she and the rest of my siblings are quick learners too,” he mused, laying out the loose paper on the table in front of him. “It might just run in my father’s side of the family.” He had mixed feelings about that. On one hand, it was disappointing to know that his talent wasn’t unique, but on the other hand, he found that he enjoyed knowing that he shared the trait with his half-sisters and brother.

When Penelope said that Olivia would probably read his letter before delivering it to Alistair, Crow snorted. “Of course she would,” he muttered, looking down at the blank paper as he pondered what to write. While he disliked knowing that the female knight would invade his privacy like that, he didn’t think he had anything to say that he particularly wanted to keep a secret from her.

“Alright,” he nodded at Penelope’s offer and lifted his quill to the page, tapping the tip against the paper as he decided how to start the letter. As he thought about it, he blinked as he realized he didn’t know how to spell any of his companions’ names. All the words he had learned had come from Udolf’s tutoring and the book he had been reading, and of course, neither of those sources included the criminals’ names. He glanced at Penelope, wondering if he should ask her for help, but then decided against it. Instead, he solved the problem his own way. The feather quill scratched against the paper as he wrote:

To my friends.

He smiled to himself in satisfaction. Having read all three of those words in his book before, he felt confident that he’d spelled them correctly. However, before he went on, he paused. It felt strange to have a one-sided conversation, and he wasn’t quite sure what to say. He drummed his fingers on the table in thought. It made the most sense to just tell them about what had been going on in his life since he’d left them, so that was what he chose to do. He lowered his quill to the sheet again:

A lot has changed since I moved in to the castle.

He wavered before he added the period. Udolf had taught him about punctuation during his lesson that day, but he found most of it difficult to keep straight. He just hoped it would be clear enough for Hazel to read when she opened it later.

About a week ago I was given the title of

He paused again and turned to Penelope with a sheepish expression as he came to a problem that he couldn’t figure out on his own. “How do you spell, ‘viceroy’?”

[BuzzingBee]

She gave a small nod as Crow pointed how languages had always come easy to him. She supposed that was true that it helped for him to already be familiar with the spoken language. It also made sense if it was a talent that was passed down through his family. Although, that didn't take away from the knight's impressment with his knack for learning languages.

As Crow set to work with his letter, Penelope did the same. Deciding to write Gavin first, she laid out his letter above her blank sheet of paper and dipped the tip of the quill into the ink. She paused for a moment as she scanned over the words he had written to her. Gavin's hand writing was neat and clear, making it easy to quickly scan over it as she thought of where to begin. She knew she wouldn't have the same luxury when it came to Olivia's. Though her writing wasn't illegible, it certainly wasn't as neat as the male knight's since she had a tendency to write quick and without care.

After scanning through it, she began her letter, writing down :

Dear Gavin,

Thank you for your well wishes. It's good to hear that you're settling into the new job alright. Perhaps it'll become a permanent position soon enough. I hope the others aren't giving you to hard of a time though. I'm well aware of how infuriating my uncle and brother can be. Plus Olivia wrote a bit about how they reacted to the news about Collin so I imagine that must have been difficult to deal with. As for my campaign to end the war, things have been going—

She stopped in her writing as Crow turned to her. The knight looked up from her sheet of paper as he asked her how to spell viceroy. "Oh it's v-i-c-e-r-o-y." she explained. Penelope knew he was learning fast but she wasn't how familiar he was with the characters of their language so she took it upon herself to write it out in a small corner of her paper. She planned to just cross it off once he saw it and wrote it. Since her letter was to Gavin, she didn't worry too much about having the word crossed out there. She could easily explain her reasoning for it to the male knight without having to worry.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow shuffled his feet uncomfortably beneath the table as he watched Penelope demonstrate how to write the word, ‘viceroy.’ He paid close attention to the way she spelled it, since he had a feeling he was going to need to remember that word for a long time to come. “Thanks,” he murmured absently as he copied it down into his own letter to Hazel and the others. When he was done, he snuck a glance at the knight’s paper and was surprised to see how much she had already written. He hoped he would be able to work as efficiently as she could once he had a better grasp of written language.

Turning his attention back to the page in front of him, Crow focused a little harder on thinking out what he wanted to say to his companions. It’s just the same news I’d give them if I were visiting in person, he reminded himself, lowering his quill to the paper once again. As he continued to write, he intermittently asked Penelope for help whenever he came across words he couldn’t spell, but found that he was able to do most of it on his own:

…I was given the title of viceroy by the king so I’m formally a nobleman now. It still doesn’t feel very different though. Most of the people in the castle still hate me just as much as before and I’ve even been accused of stealing once. My family seems to think everyone will warm up to me soon though. I hope they’re right.

Also I’ve started going by my birthname again since I was titled viceroy. I suppose that means it’s finally time for me to tell you all that my real name is Collin. Unless Olivia already told you in which case I’m sorry you didn’t hear it from me first.

As for myself and Penelope. We’ve both been doing well. Because the other nobles still hate me we’ve decided not to tell anyone that we’re together yet. She has been trying to garner support to end the war and it wouldn’t help her reputation if anyone found out about us right now. Sometimes it’s frustrating to keep waiting but I know it’s for the best so I’ve been bearing it.

There isn’t much else for me to tell you right now. My days mostly consist of lessons and training that you would all find boring. I think it is too. If anything important happens I’ll be sure to send word as soon as I can. In the meantime I look forward to hearing back from you soon and I hope you’ve all been faring well in the war.

-Crow

The viceroy looked over his letter, feeling pleased with the result. It was the first thing he’d ever written that consisted of more than just one or two sentences—that was as far as he’d gotten in his lesson with Udolf. It was strangely empowering to be able to record his thoughts and to be able to communicate them over a distance. He couldn’t wait to get a reply from Hazel and find out how the other thieves had been doing since he’d left them to become a nobleman.

“I’m done writing,” Crow said, turning to Penelope eagerly in wait to find out the next step. “Now what?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope continued to write her letter to Gavin while occasionally pausing to help Crow with his. For having just begun writing, she believed him to be doing extremely well. It made the knight happy to see him succeeding in his studies. Not worrying too much about Crow's writing unless he requested her help, she focused back on her own. She soon finished it off and paused to silently read it over:

—things have been going well. I received a letters of support so now I'm up to five barons backing me. Hopefully it will soon be more since an old acquaintance of mine gave me a list of higher ranking nobles and intends to help convince his own barons. It's only my first full week but to be honest, I'm still worried the king won't take me seriously unless I have enough support to pressure him into backing down... I just hope I can get enough before my two months here is up.

Also, did the battle end up happening yet? Olivia mentioned plans for one in her letter. I hope you're both well and safe.

Take care, Gavin. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best Regards,
Penelope

P.S. Sorry about the markings on the page. I was helping Collin with writing and had to use the letter to spell out a few words.

Satisfied with how it turned out, she neatly folded the paper so she'd be able to seal it later and placed it to the side. She rolled her wrist and stretched out her fingers as a dull ache set over her right hand from writing again. It had just began to recover from a day spent at the library but the stiffness was beginning to return now that she was back at it. She only had one last letter to write though so she ignored it and picked up the other blank paper she had, preparing to write to Olivia.

However, she didn't even get to start as Crow turned to her to announce that he had finished. She blinked and looked over at his letter before looking back over to him. "Well... That's pretty much it. I still have to write Olivia's letter and once I finish it, I'll attach it to yours, seal them, and send them off with my other ones tomorrow morning." she explained and gave a small smile. "Your work is done so all that's left after that is to wait."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow nodded when Penelope said she would attach his letter to the one she was writing to Olivia. Now that his part was done, he leaned back in his chair and rested his hands behind his head, taking a break after the effort of writing so much. While it wasn’t a particularly exhausting activity, he still wasn’t used to it, so it took a bit more effort out of him that it probably did for other people. He was glad he’d had the chance to practice though. He wanted to get better at it so he could compose letters as quickly as the knight did.

Absently, he watched her write her second letter to Olivia. His heart skipped excitedly in his chest at the thought that it wouldn’t be long before he heard news from his companions. He wondered how they were doing since they’d last spoken. The last time he’d seen them, a lot had already changed. Alistair seemed to be more serious than usual about his relationship with Olivia, he and Rikki were finally on decent terms again, and Hazel was pregnant with Simon’s child. He was eager to hear updates on how things had developed in the outer villages lately too. Hopefully the thieves would think to include some news about the other peasants they had been trying to protect.

As Penelope continued to write, Crow began to grow restless with a slight onset of boredom. He let his gaze wander over the empty room, although there wasn’t much to hold his attention, since he’d already explored the place thoroughly since he’d moved in. He tapped his foot beneath the table and then stood up to pace in an attempt to get rid of some of his pent-up energy. The motion helped some, but it didn’t get rid of the feeling completely, so he paused by his bed with a quiet huff.

As he stood there, the viceroy’s eyes wandered to the bed as an unwelcomed thought abruptly reemerged in his mind. He’d managed to forget about his dream for most of the day, but now that night had fallen and the room was still, the unnerving images flitted through his head once more. He swallowed and averted his gaze to the opposite wall, suddenly nervous that the nightmare would return when he laid down to sleep that night. After all, he’d had recurring nightmares before. It had been a while since the last time they had happened, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t come back again.

Disturbed by the thought, his eyes flicked back to where Penelope was sitting at the table. Once she finished her letter to her friend and went back to her room, there would be nothing left to keep him awake. He didn’t want to go to bed yet—not when there was a chance that he would be tormented by that dream again.

Crossing to the other side of the room, Crow stepped up behind the knight and leaned over to wrap his arms around her. “You know, no one’s going to be stopping by here until the morning,” he murmured suggestively, pressing a kiss to her neck. “Preston already left for the night, and no one else ever comes through this late.” He traced his lips against her skin and nipped playfully at her ear. “It’s been a while since we’ve last been together… What do you say we take advantage of the time we’ve got now? I’ll even block the door with my dagger if it’ll make you feel better.”

[BuzzingBee]

As Crow sat back, Penelope focused back on the blank piece of paper in front of her. She dipped the tip of her quill in the ink and set to work writing the letter to Olivia:

Dear Olivia,

I'm glad to hear that Mia and Tomas were able to settle things down over there. I imagine it would have been a whole other mess if Layth had actually been permitted to argue against the king. Speaking of messes, we just dealt with one the other day. A baron here is really trying to get Collin out of the viceroy position. So much so he tried to frame him for stealing. We solved it though and with any luck, it'll be a one time occurence.

As for the situation for Naida, well it hasn't really improved much. She's still determined as ever. And for your information, the reason we aren't telling her is because she's a terrible liar. If anyone went to question her about us we wouldn't have a chance. And that isn't something we can really risk right now. Mainly because I'm still trying to get support for the war's end. While I'm proud to be with Collin, I'm afraid it likely wouldn't help my case if word about us being together go out. Especially given we have a history of being knight and prisoner. Hopefully it won't be much longer though. He's trying to use a few noblemen after his power to his advantage by befriending them. It's mainly to protect him from people like the baron but it could also help with allowing us to begin courting.

Also, Collin and I have a small request of you. The second page of this letter is actually a letter to his companions from him. We were hoping you could deliver it to them the next time you met with Alistair. How are things with him going by the way?

Anyways, I hope all is well with you and that if the battle you mentioned took place, that you are safe.

Best Regards,
Penelope

She finished the letter and leaned back in her chair, setting the quill down and letting out a small yawn. The knight began to read over the letter, making sure she had covered everything she had wanted to, and nearly reached the end of it when she felt Crow lean over her and slip his arms around her. Penelope closed her eyes as he pressed a kiss to her neck, thinking over his suggestive words. She was enticed by the offer. They didn't get much alone time as it was and it was unlikely anyone else would be stopping by until morning.

Penelope grinned as she felt him nip at her ear. She leaned her head back, resting it against him and she was about to open her mouth to agree to his offer but paused as a worrying thought crossed her mind. Her smile faded and she let out a sigh. "I was going to say yes but I just remembered.. William is stationed at the bottom of the stairs and he saw me coming up.. If I leave here too late, I'm sure he'll likely put two and two together. He was already accusing me on my way here anyways."

[Rogue Sloth]

It nearly seemed like Penelope was going to agree to his offer. Crow smiled to himself and pressed another kiss to her neck, just below her jawline. Even though he’d been swayed to bring up the suggestion because of his nightmare, he was still excited by the thought of sleeping with her again. It had been over a week since the last time they’d had the chance. He missed being with her, and he hoped it would help to take his mind off his anxiety about trying to sleep that night.

Unfortunately, his hopes were dashed when he noticed her smile fade. As she explained that William had been stationed as a guard that night, he frowned disappointedly. It was just his luck that the bitter knight would have a shift the day after his old night terror had returned. He glanced thoughtfully at the door. Despite the risk, he felt like it would be worth it to take a little extra time alone with Penelope. After all, it had been over a week for both of them, so he doubted it would take very long.

He chewed on the inside of his lip as he looked back at the knight. She was much more cautious about her comrades than he was in general, so he had a feeling she wasn’t going to agree with him no matter how much he pestered her. However, with the memory of his dream still fresh in the back of his mind, he didn’t want to give up without giving it one more shot.

“Maybe,” Crow shrugged, trailing his fingers down the length of her sides. “But who’s to say you weren’t up late talking with my sister? He has no proof you came here…” He leaned over her shoulder to press a deep kiss to her lips in one last effort to entice her to give in. His hands moved sensuously over her body, and his heart raced a little faster in his chest. When he pulled back again, his voice was slightly breathy, “Come on. Who knows when we’ll have another chance like this? I don’t want to miss out just because of William.” He casted her a pleading look, hoping she would be willing to throw caution aside for one night.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope was a bit surprised that he continued to try and convince her, especially since they had been working to keep a distance. However, it wasn't too unheard of for him to be stubborn so she didn't question the reasoning behind it. She was about to deny him again when he leaned over to meet her lips in a deep kiss. Her heart began to beat a little faster as she closed her eyes and melted into his touch. It certainly made her resolve waver.

As he pulled back and casted her a pleading look, the knight bit the inside of her lip as she hesitated to reply. It was true that the threat of William was rather concerning to her but his words made her rethink it. After all, he didn't have any proof that she had gone to see Crow. It was all just suspicion. Plus she had managed to keep him from saying anything about their past so far so who's to say his assumptions, even though they were correct, would change that?

His persistence paid off and she momentarily pulled away from him so she could get up from her chair. "Alright, you win this one." she said, casting him a smile. She stepped over to the viceroy and wrapped her arms around him. Penelope hesitated and glanced towards the door. "As long as you're certain no one else will be stopping by." she added with a hint of worry before shifting her gaze to meet his.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow grinned when Penelope finally caved to his pestering and stood up from the table. As she wrapped her arms around him, he did the same to her, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. He was glad that she hadn’t turned him down again. As long as she stayed so close to him, it was hard for his thoughts to wander to anything other than her, which was exactly what he needed at the moment.

“I’d be surprised if anyone did,” he said when she brought up her concern. Aside from Preston, no one else really bothered to come to his bedchamber since he’d been made viceroy, even during the day. Since the attendant had already turned in for the night, there wasn’t anyone else he could think of who would stop by. Although… His eyes wandered back to the door as a certain unpleasant memory of her father made another appearance in his mind. John was the only person whom he wouldn’t put it past to show up unannounced so late at night.

“Just to be safe…” Crow stepped away from Penelope and moved over to the side of his bed. Reaching one hand under the pillow he usually slept on, he withdrew the dagger he’d hidden beneath it and carried it over to the door, where he slipped the small blade through the handles. Satisfied that the makeshift block would hold up, he headed back to the knight with a flirtatious smile and rested his hands on her hips. “No one will be stopping by now,” he said in a low voice, just before he leaned in to meet her in a passionate kiss.

As his lips moved against hers, Crow’s heart pounded in his chest, and he could feel a flush warm his skin. After going so long without her touch, it had become like lightning to him, energizing and completely captivating. Eager to push things further, he led her over to the bed without breaking the kiss and guided her up onto the soft mattress. His fingers trailed down her sides as he moved on top of her, reaching for the fastening of her clothes to take them off.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope watched as he stepped back from her to retrieve the dagger under his pillow. The knight relaxed a bit more as he used the weapon to block the door handle. At least if by some chance someone did come, it'd give them some time to try and get out of the situation they'd be in. Satisfied with that in mind, she grinned up at him as he stepped back over to her and leaned in to meet him as he kissed her. She wrapped her arms back around him, pressing into him with equal passion.

Her heart raced excitedly in her chest as his touch and the thought of them being intimate. After having to constantly keep a distance from him, she was all the more eager to be with him and followed his lead as he guided them over to the bed. She ran her fingers through his hair as they kissed and pulled back slightly as she felt him begin to reach for the fastening of her clothing. She slipped out of her shirt and pants before shifting to press a trail of kisses down his neck to his collar. Her hands trailed sensuously down his side, moving to slide off his clothing....

----

Penelope smiled dazedly as she laid back in the bed. She was glad they had managed to take advantage of their time alone, especially since the distance between them as of late had made her crave his touch all the more. "Well, I think we really made the most of our time." She mused before letting out a yawn. While being with him had been satisfying, it had also tired the knight out, especially due to how late it was getting. She leaned over to press an affectionate kiss to his cheek before burrowing her head into his neck. "I should get going soon." she murmured tiredly.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow laid on his side with his arms wrapped around Penelope, his chest rising and falling with a bit more effort than usual as he recovered from the effort of being intimate with the knight. A weary smile curved his lip, and he had to stifle a yawn. Though he had brought up the suggestion to keep from falling asleep, he had worn himself out much more than he’d intended, and he found it difficult to hold onto consciousness. Still, his lingering fear of facing his nightmare again kept him from dozing off completely.

As Penelope kissed him on the cheek and buried her head against his neck, he held her a little closer, tracing his right hand gently down the curve of her waist and hips. While he didn’t want to fall asleep, he enjoyed how comfortable he felt with her lying beside him. The warmth of her body and the softness of the blankets he’d pulled over them relaxed him, and he felt a faint burst of excitement as it reminded him that it wouldn’t be much longer before they would be able to go to bed like this every night.

His smile softened at the thought. The other nobles in the castle were slowly beginning to warm up to him—or at least grow tolerant of his presence—and Penelope had already gotten some letters of support to end the war. Hopefully that meant they could stop hiding their relationship soon. He couldn’t wait to start courting her for marriage. They had already been through so much together; it felt like the most natural next step for them to take.

And I already know I want to spend the rest of my life with her, he added silently, feeling his cheeks grow warm as he imagined what their future would look like.

“I should get going soon.”

Crow opened his eyes as Penelope’s tired voice drew him from his fantasizing and brought him back to reality. Suddenly, he remembered why he had pleaded with her to stay in the first place as another abrupt image of his dream appeared in his head. The awfulness of it made him wince, and he hid the expression by turning his face against the pillow they were laying on. It seemed that even though sleeping with the knight had helped him forget about it for a while, the nightmare was still tormenting him.

“You don’t have to,” he mumbled, holding her tightly in his reluctance to part. “You’ve already been here this long… Why don’t you just stay?”

[BuzzingBee]

In her sleepiness, the knight took his words as a joke at first and smiled a little. However, her smile faded as she felt him hold her tighter and suggest that she just stay with him. Realizing he was being serious, she blinked in surprise. As nice as being able to stay the night with him would be, it'd be far too risky. There was a chance of Preston finding them and anyone else who might stop by in the morning. Not to mention the risk of someone finding out she wasn't in her own room. She didn't really get any visitors aside from her father, but she didn't exactly want him figuring out where she had been all night. Especially after he had nearly walked in on them before.

She pulled back from him just enough to meet his gaze and frowned. "Crow, you know I can't... It's way too risky. I'm already pushing the limit with staying here this late." she pointed out. The knight paused as another thought came to her. It was a bit strange for him to insist on her staying. Though he was known to take chances, he usually knew the limits. For him to try to push that was a bit strange.

Penelope blinked as she recalled how something had been bothering him. She had momentarily forgotten about it due to his improved mood and being busy with the letters. The knight studied him for a moment, wondering if his behavior now had something to do with it. The thought was concerning to her since it seemed like it was more important than he originally let on if that was the case. Which was exactly why she didn't really trust his judgment.

"Is... Is this because of what was bugging you?" she asked him softly, moving to rest her hand on his arm as she looked at him concernedly.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow bit his tongue almost as soon as the words had left his mouth. Though he’d meant them, he knew he shouldn’t have voiced the suggestion out loud. Of course Penelope couldn’t spend the whole night with him. It just wasn’t possible. William was posted downstairs, already suspicious that she had come to his bedchamber, and Preston would catch them together in the morning. There was no way they could get way with anything more than they already had. It was too risky to even try.

But that didn’t change the fact that he didn’t want her to go.

As Penelope reiterated the reasons why she had to leave, he let out his breath in a stressed exhale. He hated how much one bad dream had frayed his nerves. Even if it had been vivid, he shouldn’t have let it get to him like this. It wasn’t like he’d actually relived the traumas of his past, after all. It had just been a nightmare that he needed to forget about.

Unfortunately, even though he knew all these things, it was hard to put them into practice, especially when he knew there was a chance that the dream would recur when he fell asleep tonight. Though he wanted to believe it had just been a fluke, he had a sinking feeling that the nightmares that had plagued him before were coming back for a second round.

Crow stiffened involuntarily when Penelope seemed to make the connection that his uncharacteristic behavior now was related to how he’d acted in the Great Hall that morning. He averted his gaze ashamedly. There was no point in lying to her when she’d already caught on to him. But he also didn’t want to talk about it. For one thing, admitting that he was this rattled because of a dream was just embarrassing. For another, there was always a chance that it had really just been a coincidence and that he was overreacting because of the nightmares he’d had when he was younger. He didn’t want to come off as weak in either case.

“I’m sorry. Forget I said anything,” he muttered after a moment, moving to sit up on the bed. “I’ll help you get your clothes so you can go back to your room.”

[BuzzingBee]

The way he stiffened at her words answered her question almost immediately even if he didn't respond out loud. The knight waited for him to confirm her words out loud but unfortunately, he ignored them inside. Her frown deepened, disliking how he tried to avoid speaking about it again. However, this time she wasn't so willing to let it go. If it truly wasn't important, surely he would have handled it by now.

With her mind made up, she suddenly sat up and wrapped her arms firmly around his middle before falling back into the bed, dragging him back down with her. Once they were back on the bed, she shifted to lean slightly on his chest while still keeping one arm wrapped firmly around him. Trying to make sure he couldn't get up, she shifted to wrap her leg around his for good measure. Penelope met his gaze and gave a half hearted smirk. "I warned you at breakfast I wouldn't let it go so easily. So now you're either going to tell me or Preston's going to be smuggling me out of your room this time instead of stolen jewels."

Her smirk faded as her gaze softened into a look of concern. "Seriously though, what's wrong? And don't say it's not important. If it's been bothering you this much, it's important."

[Rogue Sloth]

Unfortunately for Crow, he barely had a chance to sit upright before he felt Penelope suddenly wrap her arms around his middle. Unprepared for the motion, he didn’t have time to brace himself and fell on his back when she dragged him down onto the bed with her again. He blinked in surprise, nearly nose to nose with her now that she was leaning on his chest. She’d seemed so intent that she needed to get back to her own room earlier that he hadn’t expected her to prolong her leave.

As she joked that Preston was going to have to smuggle her out if he didn’t talk, the viceroy rolled his eyes. Sometimes, she could be even more stubborn than he was. He didn’t understand why she was being so persistent though. He’d already told her it wasn’t important, and he didn’t think he was acting that differently lately. He’d just gotten a little more desirous to have her around. That was all.

Crow shifted uncomfortably on the bed as she pressed him to tell her what was wrong again. The concern on her face just made him feel even more embarrassed, since he knew he was making a big deal out of nothing. When had a dream ever hurt anyone? It was ridiculous that he had let himself get so worked up over something so harmless. Even if the nightmare did come back tonight, he would be fine—shaken, but fine. The worst that could happen would be that he wouldn’t feel as well-rested as he wanted to be in the morning.

“It isn’t important,” he insisted in a quiet voice, refusing to meet her gaze as he spoke. “It was just a stupid dream. That’s it. There’s nothing you need to worry about, so can we please let it go?”

[BuzzingBee]

Of course, getting an actual answer from him was like pulling teeth. However, she at least managed to get a small detail. Penelope raised an eyebrow slightly as he admitted that it had been a dream that was bugging him. To be honest, she hadn't quite been expecting that but thinking more on it now, it began to make a bit of sense to her. It was why it he had been acting differently in the morning and likely why he had been reluctant to part with her that night. Whatever dream it was, he must have been afraid that it'd return.

She let out a soft sigh and gently brushed back a strand of hair from his face. Dreams may have not been reality but the feelings they created from it were. While her concern was a bit lessened since it wasn't anything physical, she still wanted to learn more about why it had shaken him so much. Even when she had had nightmares herself, she usually managed to get past them before the end of the day. Though his tone made it clear that he wanted the subject dropped, she wasn't willing to.

"Well, what was it about?" she asked, shifting to get into a slightly more comfortable position. She crossed her arms on his chest and rested her chin on them as she looked to him for a more detailed answer. Though it was late, the knight had partially meant her words. It might have been a risky choice but she simply cared about him too much to just accept his simple answer and leave. If it meant staying with him longer and risk having to sneak around William or anyone else then so be it.