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

[Rogue Sloth]

It looked like Naida already believed him when he told her the rumors hadn’t been true, and for that, Crow was glad. He was too tired to argue with her about something as ridiculous as the drama Elizabeth had started. Leaning heavily on his arm, he stifled a yawn and glanced toward the door that led to the kitchen. He hoped the food wouldn’t take much longer to arrive. As much as he liked spending time with Penelope and his sister, he was feeling tempted to pass out at the table.

Almost as if on cue, he spotted Preston and two other servants approaching with their food. He could already feel his mouth begin to water at the enticing smell of cooked meat and vegetables, and he sat up straight when the three set down their plates on the table. As soon as the servants left them alone again, he dug into his meal, eager to fill his empty stomach while the noblewomen talked.

At Naida’s remark about courting, Crow snorted. “I don’t think avoiding someone is the right reason to court a woman,” he replied flippantly, taking a bite of baked potato. Despite his words, he hoped she was right. If Elizabeth continued to pester him after he and Penelope announced their relationship, it was going to be frustrating. He just wanted her to give up on whatever manipulative game she was playing and go back to Colchester. Maybe if she realized she didn’t have a chance to win him over, she would finally quit.

When Penelope changed the subject, he glanced up at her from his plate and then looked away again. He still hadn’t made very much progress on his end, since he didn’t know many people in the castle. It was hard to find opportunities to invite other nobles when many of them wouldn’t even look him in the eye.

“I’ve got plenty of friends to invite,” Naida grinned. “Most are knights from the castle barracks, but I know a lot of high-ranking nobles too. A few of them are pretty close to father, so their opinions would carry a lot of weight if you can convince them. I can make a list of all their names tonight, if you want.” She glanced expectantly at Crow. “What about you?”

The viceroy shuffled his feet beneath the table. “I mentioned the party to two people so far,” he admitted sheepishly. “I don’t know how many I’ll be able to talk to before it happens though. Maybe six or seven? I’m planning to tell them all that their families are welcome though... I might get a couple barons and dukes that way.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smiled as Naida said she had plenty of friends to invite. Though Oliver already had a decent guest list, there was no guarantee that everyone that showed up would side with her and a peaceful end to the war. The more nobles they could invite—especially higher ranking ones—the better. It also gave her more hope to hear that Naida would be able to also invite a few nobles that were close to the king. Those ones would be key in convincing then. "That'd be great if you could, Naida. Whenever you manage to finish it just find me or drop it off with the Lenz's. I'll be working with them tomorrow anyways." she said with an appreciative smile.

As Naida directed the attention onto Crow, she gave the viceroy a small smile. He was still new to noble life and since he had more enemies than friends, she hadn't expected him to give her a list like Naida. "Well just invite who you can. People are still getting used to you here and you're still getting used to being here so I wouldn't expect you to have a huge list." she told him with a small shrug. "I'm sure just you coming will help."

"Yeah you saw how many people congratulated you at your ceremony after all!" Naida chipped in with an encouraging smile.

Penelope gave an amused look. While Naida was partly right in her assumption, the knight guessed that some of those nobles had congratulated him more for the sake of impressing the king rather than trying to suck up to the new viceroy. However, she didn't say anything on it and instead just nodded her head in agreement. Looking between her friend and lover, she felt a bubbling mixture of hope and nervousness about the party as more things began to fall into place for it. "I'm sure the turn out for this party will be good though... It'll just be a matter of if I'm able to convince enough people." she mused poking at her food.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow nodded, chewing thoughtfully on his food. He wasn’t sure how his presence at the party would help anything since most of the nobles in the castle still seemed to hate him, but he didn’t want to point that out to Penelope. Regardless of whether or not anyone else wanted him there, he intended to go to support her. She had been working hard on her mission from the gods since the day they’d arrived in the inner kingdom, and this party could be the turning point they needed to end the war. He wasn’t about to sit it out in his room and ask her how it went. If there was even a chance that he could help her in some way, he wanted to be there to do just that.

At Naida’s words of encouragement, he shrugged. He knew she meant well by reminding him about all the people who had approached him at the banquet, but all he could think about were ones who probably despised him even more now that he was the king’s viceroy. For every man and woman who had congratulated him, there had to be at least two or three who would be happy to see him dead. Of course, he wasn’t overly concerned about being knifed in the back at a public event, but he was a little worried that the nobles who disliked him would be less willing to take Penelope’s side if they realized that meant they would be aligning with him too. He would likely have to keep his head down during the party until after the knight gained the support she needed.

When Penelope spoke up again, Crow glanced at her with a frown, noticing the sudden dip in her enthusiasm. He wished he could comfort her and remind her of all the reasons why he thought she was the perfect person to handle the job, but he couldn’t say any of that with Naida around. Instead, he subtly brushed his leg against hers beneath the table and tried a more neutral approach.

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine,” he assured her, turning to his sister with a smirk. “We can make it our job to keep everyone drinking, so they’ll be easier to convince.”

“Yeah,” Naida grinned back at him before reaching across the table to pat her friend’s shoulder. “Plus, I know you’ll do great even without our help. This is obviously something you care a lot about. As long as you show that care at the party, I’m sure it’ll bleed into everyone else too. You have nothing to worry about!”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope looked up from her food as she felt Crow brush his leg against hers. A smile found its way onto her lips at his words. She looked over at Naida as the princess agreed with him and added her own support. It helped knowing she had their support as well as their trust in her to convince the nobles at the party. And perhaps, they were right to. A god himself had entrusted her to convince the king after all. Though she still had worries and doubts, it seemed this was job she could do.

"Thanks guys." she said smiling softly at the two. "I'm glad I'll have at least two people making sure everyone's drunk enough to listen to me." She added with a snicker. Penelope focused back on her food for a moment, finishing off the last bite before glancing off towards a nearby window. It was growing late in the day and she knew she should likely get some rest. Though she had had the enjoyable company of Crow all day, she knew she wouldn't be so lucky the next. If she was going to spend her day working with the Lenz's she was going to need a good amount of sleep to get through it.

"I better get going. If I've got to spend the day writing invitations with Dimia tomorrow, I'm going to need all the rest I can get." Penelope sighed and then gave an exaggerated shudder. "I can't imagine all the comments she's going to make about my penmanship."

"Good luck." Naida smirked. "I'll get you that list as soon as I can."

Penelope gave a small nod and then stood up to leave. "Have a good night." she told the two, offering them both a small smile before turning to leave.

[Rogue Sloth]

“It’s what we’re here for,” Crow teased when Penelope thanked them for making sure everyone would be drunk enough to listen to her. He was glad that she seemed to be feeling a little more confident at least. Throughout the whole ordeal, he hadn’t been able to do very much to help her. If emotional support was the only role he could take in ending the war, then he would do his best to be there for her in that way. That, and checking in with his father on occasion to make sure the king wasn’t rushing his trip to Gorm any more than he already had been. Albin’s plan to strike an alliance with their neighbor wasn’t as concerning to him now that the party was happening so soon though. He still didn’t even know how to ride a horse. There was no way the king could send him before the end of the week when he was so ill-equipped for the journey.

As the knight announced that she needed to leave, the viceroy felt a twinge of disappointment. After spending the whole day together, it was hard to know they were going to have to return to the way they’d been before. At least it won’t be for much longer, he reassured himself, finishing off the rest of his plate. “Goodnight,” he said in return as she walked away, leaving him alone with his sister.

As soon as she was gone, he felt Naida nudge his shoulder with hers. “You can’t seriously tell me you still don’t want to court her, can you?” she pressed him yet again.

“I can, and I will,” he rolled his eyes, downing a swig of wine. “Why do you keep trying to pressure me every time I even look at her?”

“Because I know you two would be perfect for each other,” Naida sighed. “You saw the way she smiled at you, right? I’m certain there’s something there. If you’d just consider giving her a chance—”

“Please,” Crow held up his hand to cut her off. “I’m too tired for this tonight. We’re friends, so we get along. That’s all there is to it.” He stood up from the bench. “Anyway, I should get some sleep too. I’m going to have another long day tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Naida deflated. “See you around, Collin.”

“’Night,” Crow yawned, heading out of the Great Hall to retire to his bedchamber.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope headed off to her room and settled in for the night. Having had a rather nice day, she laid down comfortably into her bed and closed her eyes. It didn't take long for the knight to drift off into a peaceful, yet dreamed filled sleep. She dreamt of the war's end and her future together with Crow. Though some details were off, she was unaware as she enjoyed the fantasy world around her.

---

The next morning she woke with start as a sharp knock sounded from her door. Penelope jerked her head up, being caught off guard due to how deeply she had been sleeping. She rubbed a hand over her eyes, trying to wake up a bit more. Assuming that it was likely Tybalt to tell her guard assignments, she got up and straightened out her appearance before heading over to answer the door. As she opened it, she found that her assumption had been a bit off as it was instead her father. She blinked, slightly caught off guard by his appearance and then dipped her head to him.

"Morning. Did you need me for something?" she asked him.

"I was just stopping by to give you the letters that came in for you." John responded with a small shrug as he held out a couple envelopes to her.

"Oh, thank you." Penelope mused gratefully as she took the small amount of letters. Judging by their late arrival and small amount, she could only guess the letters were from Gavin and Olivia. The thought of reading what had been going on with her friends since the last letter gave her small rush of excitement as well as an eagerness to write to them all about the party. She smiled a bit before looking back over to her father who was taking a step back to leave. "Did Tybalt say anything about my guard shifts for this week? I haven't heard anything from him yet." she asked curiously.

"You have none." John answered simply. As his daughter stared at him with confusion, he let out a small sigh. "Since you're planning for that party I figured all your focus should be on that rather than some meaningless guard shifts. I put in a request for you to have this week off and Tybalt approved it." He paused and narrowed his eyes slightly at her. "I would have told you this yesterday but it seems you had left the castle."

Penelope shifted slightly. "Yes, I took a trip out to Bellmare."

"Alone?" John questioned further, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well.. No." Penelope admitted with a sigh. "I went with Collin since the king gave him a day off. And before you say anything, the rumors you've been hearing aren't true and he explained everything to me already.. After that we just wanted to spend some time together so I showed him around Bellmare a bit. He made sure no one saw his face though and we still kept a distance though."

John fell quiet for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Well, so long as you're being careful.. You truly believe his words on the rumors though?"

Penelope gave a firm nod of her head. "Completely. I know he doesn't have the best history in your eyes but he wouldn't do something like that.. Not to me. He's just as serious about our relationship as I am." the knight explained. She paused and met her father's gaze hopefully. "You.. You'll eventually give him your blessing right?"

John hesitated at her words. "I'm still considering it." he muttered. Letting out a long breath, he turned to leave. "Go get some breakfast, Penelope. I'm sure you have plenty to do today."

Penelope felt herself relax at his words. While it wasn't the straightforward answer she was hoping for, it was still better than no. At least she knew his blessing was still on the table despite the rumors that had gone around. As he moved to leave, she gave a small nod. "Right. Thank you, father." she said with a small smile before stepping out of her room. She tucked away the letters into her pocket and headed off to the Great Hall.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow groaned and rolled over on his bed as the light from the window hit his eyelids. He couldn’t tell what time it was, but he knew he didn’t want to get up. The warmth of the sheets felt good as the weather cooled down, bringing the temperature of his room down with it. He didn’t want to leave his bed until he absolutely had to. He pulled the blanket over his head and exhaled contentedly. Vaguely, he noticed that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so well-rested. The morning was peaceful, his muscles were relaxed, and he hadn’t woken up in a cold sweat from nightmares—

No nightmares.

The realization struck him at once, and he sat up with a start. Dazedly, he looked around the room and then down at himself, finding that nothing had changed since the night before. Somehow, it seemed he’d escaped the plague of horrible dreams this time. He felt weak with relief.

“Good morning, Collin.”

The viceroy blinked and turned toward Preston, who was sitting at the same table as usual. The attendant got up and carried a cup of water over to him. “You’re calmer than usual,” he observed as he handed the container off. “Your nightmare didn’t come back last night, did it?”

“No,” Crow answered absently. His throat didn’t hurt this morning since he hadn’t woken up screaming, but he downed the drink anyway.

“Do you think it’s finally going away?” the servant asked curiously.

“I don’t know,” the viceroy shook his head. “Honestly, I’m not sure why it did last night.” He stared down at the empty glass in his hand with a bewildered look. After he’d seen the mercenary in the market yesterday, he’d thought he was getting worse, but now he didn’t know what was going on. It was strange for the nightmare to suddenly vanish too. Had he done something different that had caused the dreams to go away?

Suddenly, he remembered what Penelope had told her about her talk with Tybalt a few days ago. The older knight had told her that exercise could help. He had spent most of the previous day walking with her to and through Bellmare, and they had even spent a portion of their trip running when he had challenged her to that competition. Maybe the physical exertion had been just enough to help him sleep through the night. He wasn’t certain, but the thought was enough to give him hope that he could fight back this time.

“Well I’m glad it didn’t come back,” Preston said as he took the cup from him again. “You’ve been looking like you could keel over any day lately.”

Crow rolled his eyes. He wanted to say the boy was wrong, but he had been pretty exhausted since the dreams had come back. It wouldn’t have surprised him if his poor sleep had started taking a toll on his appearance. “You’re lucky you work for me, kid,” he snorted, swinging his legs over the edge of his bed to get up. “If you said that to anyone else, they’d send you to the stocks.”

Preston just shrugged, not seeming to care one way or the other as he stepped over to the wardrobe.

Crow let the servant pick out his clothes for him while he straightened up his appearance a bit in the mirror. He still didn’t overly care about what he looked like, but with the party coming up so soon, he didn’t want to give the other nobles in the castle another reason to dislike him. It seemed to be worth his effort to comb out the knots in his long hair and trim back his beard again, so he wouldn’t stand out for “looking like a peasant” or some other nonsense like that.

Once he finished getting ready and had dressed himself in the tunic and trousers Preston had chosen for him, the two headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. Crow walked at a brisk pace through the corridors, feeling much better than he usually did in the morning. He was eager to find out if he would catch Penelope before his next lesson too. After all the time they had spent together the day before, his closeness to her felt rekindled, and he couldn’t wait to talk to her again.

He just hoped Elizabeth wouldn’t be there too.

[BuzzingBee]

As Penelope reached the Great Hall, she stepped inside and swept her gaze over the tables, eying for Crow, Naida or even Cedric. Unfortunately it seemed she had either beaten them there or missed them completely as she didn't see any familiar faces. Friendly ones at least. Off handedly she did catch the unwanted eye of William, who was eating breakfast with his squire. She noticed him pause in whatever lecture he was giving her and narrow his eyes on her. His bitter look made the knight snort and she turned to walk off to an empty table that was far from the sour old knight.

Sitting down, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the letters. Since she was alone and would have to wait for her food anyways, she decided to begin reading what her friends from the battlefront had sent her. Opening up the first letter, she blinked in surprise as a second letter fell out. It wasn't of the same material as the first. It was smaller and had rough edges, seeming to have been torn out of a notebook. Penelope eyed in confusedly and picked it up in her hands. As she turned it over, she saw that the letter was addressed to 'Collin'.

Her eyes widened with realization that the letter had come from Crow's companions. The knight had nearly forgotten that she had requested Olivia to deliver the letter to them. A smile crossed her lips, grateful that her friend had done as she asked and eager to give the letter to its rightful owner. She was about to set it aside to read Olivia's letter when she caught sight of Crow entering the Great Hall. Penelope shot him a smile and subtly waved the paper at him, hoping to both flag him over as well as let him know that his friends had written to him.

[Rogue Sloth]

Luckily for Crow, the first person he spotted when he arrived at the Great Hall was Penelope. Better yet, she was sitting alone. He smiled to himself and walked over to join her, noticing that she was waving a piece of paper at him. At first, he wasn’t sure what it was, but after a moment, he recalled the letters they had written to their friends in the outer villages a while ago. The others must have finally written them back. He hastened his pace, eager to find out what they had to say.

“Well, this day just keep getting better,” he grinned when he reached her, sliding onto the bench on the other side of the table. “A little alone time with you, word from our friends, and,” he leaned forward with a slight pause for dramatic effect. “I got a whole night of sleep for the first time in almost a week.” Even though he usually kept to himself, he found that he wanted to tell her that he hadn’t had a nightmare this time. The news would lessen whatever worries she held about his condition, he was sure, but besides that, he wanted to share his excitement about the progress with her. If it really had been the exercise he’d gotten in Bellmare that had helped him, then he might finally have a lead to get rid of the dreams completely.

He opened his mouth to explain his theory to her, but didn’t get a chance before he was interrupted by a less than welcome voice.

“Morning.” Crow cringed as Elizabeth stepped up from behind him. The noblewoman had a friendly smile on her face, but surprisingly, she didn’t move to sit beside him at the table.

He glanced over his shoulder at her briefly and then turned away again without replying, hoping she would get the message that he still didn’t want to talk to her.

“I heard you left the castle yesterday,” Liz went on, ignoring his hostility. “Did you do anything fun?”

Crow rolled his eyes. The stubborn woman wasn’t going anywhere yet, but he wasn’t about to let her win in a battle of wills. “So, any word from the warfront?” he asked Penelope, pointedly disregarding the noblewoman beside him. If she was going to try to stay, he would just make her feel as unwelcomed as he could. She hadn’t listened when he’d told her directly to leave before, so this was the next best option.

Liz crossed her arms. “I don’t know why you’re still treating me so poorly. I’m just trying to catch up.”

“How is your battalion doing?” Crow added mercilessly, pretending not to hear her.

Fortunately, that seemed to be enough to convince her to give up for now. The noblewoman huffed indignantly and walked away, and the viceroy leaned into the table with relief. “Thank the gods,” he sighed. “I thought she was going to try to sit with us again.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope watched as Crow walked eagerly over to join her. It seemed he had picked up on what the paper in her hand was. As he slid in across from her, she smirked a little bit, enjoying his rather happy mood. She was glad to see him so lit up because of getting a chance to spend the meal with her and the letter but was caught off guard as he paused to add something else. Her eyes widened in surprise as he revealed that he had gone a night without the nightmares. Knowing he had been plagued by them for quite a while and waking up in such a bad condition, it was wonderful news to find out that, somehow, he had gotten a full nights rest.

She opened her mouth, both eager to congratulate him as well as ask him questions about how he managed to do it. However, she didn't get the chance to as an approaching figure caught her eye. Penelope's smile faded as Elizabeth stepped over to his side, displeased to see the noblewoman. She was a bit caught off guard though as she merely stood by Crow's side though rather than sitting down at the table. Perhaps Liz was beginning to back off a bit.

Not wanting to get her hopes up though, Penelope quickly shifted her gaze back onto Crow as he ignored her completely. She flashed him a small smile and gave a shrug at his question. If he intended to shut her out, the knight wouldn't hesitate to jump on board. "Hopefully good. It's been a while since I've heard from them after all." she mused, keeping Liz in the corner of her gaze. She would need to figure out other details to talk about if the noblewoman was insistent in staying like usual.

Fortunately, it seemed that she had gotten the message a bit quicker than usual. As she left, the knight's shoulders relaxed and she gave a firm nod of agreement at Crow's words. "I did too... At least it seems to be getting easier to get rid of her." she pointed out on a hopeful note. Penelope was optimistic that it meant soon Liz would back off completely and perhaps even return to her home outside the castle. However, she wanted to get away from that topic as she was much more eager to learn about Crow's lack of nightmares.

Penelope gave a dismissive wave and then met his gaze with an excited smile. "Alright now that she's gone, how'd you managed no dreams? Do you think they're finally gone now?" she asked. The knight recalled him saying that he had toughed out the nightmares before so perhaps he had reached the finish line again. Regardless, she was happy that he hadn't woken up in such a panicked state for once.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow was glad that Elizabeth seemed to finally be backing down in her attempts to win him over. He much preferred spending the morning in conversation with Penelope than fending off the persistent noblewoman’s flirting. Now that they were alone, he wouldn’t have to worry about putting on an act either. There was no one else around who was near enough to overhear them speak, so he didn’t have to pretend he wasn’t close to her. It would be nice to continue the old habits they’d fallen back into yesterday.

“Hopefully we won’t even have to worry about that for much longer,” Crow added when Penelope said it was getting easier to shake Liz off. “She wasn’t dumb when I knew her before. She has to take the hint that I’m not going to change my mind about her at some point.” The only thing keeping the noblewoman around this long was her stubbornness, he guessed. She had always been determined to get her way, no matter the risks. It had been the entire reason why she’d wanted to sleep with him seven years ago. By crossing that line with a known criminal, she had gotten back at her controlling father, who never let her do or learn the things she wanted.

It seemed that rebellious streak of hers hadn’t faded in the time since then.

Crow casted the thought aside when Penelope asked him about his dreams. He brightened at the change in topic, eager to share his thoughts with her and find out if she agreed with his theory. “I don’t know,” he shook his head at her follow up question. “They didn’t disappear all at once the last time I had this problem, but the fact that I made it through one night without any nightmares is progress to me.”

He fell quiet for a moment, glancing up as Preston and another castle servant walked over with their food. As soon as they were gone, he continued, “I’m not really certain why it went away last night either, but I have an idea. I think it was all that running around we did in Bellmare. You said your captain told you that training could help, right? That trick might actually work for me.”

He tore off a piece of bread from his plate and popped it into his mouth, “I think I want to start running in the evenings whenever I can find the time. If that was what helped last night, it could be what I need to get rid of these dreams again.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a small nod as Crow pointed out that Liz would have to take the hint sooner or later. As he went on to answer her questions about his dreams, she listened eagerly. Unfortunately it sounded like just because he had gotten lucky one night, didn't mean that his dreams were completely over yet. While that thought was a bit discouraging, she had to agree that it was at least progress. It could still mean that the end of the nightmares was coming, even if it wasn't as fast as she had previously thought.

She was about to ask him more about it but didn't get the chance to as Preston and the other servant delivered their food. She gave a small dip of her head to them before looking back over at Crow once they left. As he explained his theory, the knight raised an eyebrow curiously. Penelope had forgotten about Tybalt's other methods to get rid of the dreams. Yesterday had been a bit tiring, even for her who had gotten a full night's sleep, so there was a chance that it had been the factor to help keep the nightmares at bay. The thought made her cast him a hopeful smile.

"Well it wouldn't hurt to put that theory to the test, that's for sure." Penelope mused with a nod. "My captain did say tiring the body could tire the mind so maybe it'll be able to get rid of them. Regardless it sounds like this is at least one step in the right direction, whether it's because of all the running around or not." She held back from telling him that Tybalt had also mentioned that it didn't always keep the dreams at bay. Not wanting to discourage him or the theory, she withheld that particular information for now. After all, the exercising could be the key to getting rid of the nightmares for him still and she didn't want dismiss it even if it was just slightly.

Casting him a smile she pushed the folded up letter over to him. "That aside, it seems like you're having a pretty good start to your day." she mused with a small chuckle. "No dreams, able to fend off Liz fairly quickly, and you got your first letter."

[Rogue Sloth]

When Penelope seemed to be optimistic about his progress too, Crow was pleased. Even if the dreams didn’t go away completely, getting a few good nights of sleep here and there was better than getting none at all. He could feel a big difference in his alertness already. It was good to be fully awake without battling the tug of perpetual weariness every day, making it difficult for him to focus on conversations and lessons with his tutors. If he could even be this energetic every other day, it would make his life a lot easier.

He looked down at the letter she passed to him, suddenly reminded of the other reason why he was excited to sit with her this morning. After going over two weeks without seeing his companions, he was eager to hear back from them. A bright smile crossed his lips. It still fascinated him that since he learned to read and write, he could communicate with other people without physically speaking to them. This was also the first time he would read something that had been written specifically for him. He couldn’t wait to find out what it said.

“I really am,” he chuckled as he accepted the letter from Penelope. “Things are finally starting to look up around here.” Between everything that had happened today and yesterday, he was beginning to feel a little more at home in the inner kingdom. The newfound comfort left him hopeful that he would be able to adapt to noble life if given enough time.

Too curious to wait any longer, he unfolded the torn parchment to see what was inside. His heart raced excitedly as he recognized the yellowed paper as part of Hazel’s old journal. He had watched her scrawl gibberish in it for years. Now, he would finally be able to understand the symbols she’d been writing the whole time. His eyes followed the letters carefully as he read:

Dear, Collin:

You’ve only been studying for a week, and you can already write? As much as it pains me to admit it, I’m impressed. It sounds like you’re already well on your way to becoming a skilled viceroy. Just don’t let those other noble rats get inside your head while you’re staying at the castle, alright? We’re all counting on you to be the voice for the rest of us in the inner kingdom. Keep Simon’s dream alive and use your power to make the outer villages a better place for the rest of us who still live here.

In regard to your change of name, I’m glad you finally got rid of that stupid alias. Collin fits you much better than Crow ever did, and I appreciate your willingness to finally tell us who you are. Olivia didn’t tell us before she gave us your letter either. She did open it first, but I think she cared more about spending time with Alistair than she did about ruining your secret. I’m sure that must come as a relief to you.

I speak for all of us when I say I’m happy that you and Penelope have been doing well since we last saw you. We weren’t sure how you would adjust to being a noble, since you’ve always been a troublemaker as a peasant—

Crow laughed to himself at that.

—but I hope things have gotten easier since you wrote this letter to us. Knowing you, I’m sure you’ll make a great viceroy that the people will respect once they get to know you better. Just give them time.

Life in the outer villages hasn’t changed much since you left. Rikki and Alistair still join in the battles when they’re able to figure out where the fighting is happening, and I’ve finally started procuring all the ingredients I need to cure the villages in Myrefall of their illness. We’ve all been keeping busy, and luckily, we haven’t had any more trouble from the knights. I think they’ve finally decided to ignore us and focus on the war, as they should have been doing all along.

Anyway, it was good to hear from you, Collin. I would include more, but I’m running out of room on this page. Keep writing back to us whenever you have the chance. I don’t think a day goes by when you don’t cross our minds, and getting your last letter was an encouragement to all of us. Rikki, Alistair, and I miss you greatly and hope you’re getting everything you wanted out of the decision you made to become a nobleman.

Best regards,
Hazel

Setting the parchment back down on the table, Crow ran his hand over his face with a slow exhale. He hadn’t expected to get emotional over a letter, but after reading about Hazel and the other thieves and hearing about their concern for his wellbeing, his throat felt tight. “Gods, I didn’t realize how much I miss them,” he chuckled bashfully, looking up at Penelope with a half-smile. His eyes felt a little moist, so he rubbed at them with the heel of his palm.

“You got some letters from your comrades too, right?” he asked, changing the subject in an attempt to draw focus away from his own unexpected reaction. “What did they say?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smiled at him and nodded her head as he said things were beginning to look up. She thought so as well. The only things left were for the party to go smoothly and for her father to giving his blessing. If they could manage that, the knight had a feeling that life in the inner kingdom would become much easier. As Crow went on to begin reading his letter, she did the same as she unfolded Olivia's letter.

Penelope,

Sounds like you had your handful of trouble over there even without Layth's interference. Is that baron you spoke about still trying to undermine our new viceroy? Or has he given up? Although I'm sure it'd be an entertaining mess, I hope that things have settled down enough for you to not have to worry about some baron kicking Collin out of his new position.

Things over here haven't changed much. There's been two battles since we last spoke. One went well for us and the other, not so much. Honestly I hope you're able to end this thing soon because I'm getting tired of it over here. It's also not nearly as fun now that you aren't around. The most enjoyment I get are my occasional visit with Alistair but I'm sure you don't want me to go into detail about that. Speaking of which, I'm sure by now you've seen that I delivered that letter like you asked. Seems like our new viceroy is quite the fast learner. I couldn't believe he was already sending them a letter. They were quite happy about receiving it and I can already tell I'm turning into a private messenger. Tell Collin he's going to owe me for this.

That aside, how are things? Is Naida still giving you two grief about courting? Or has she figured you two out already? I look forward to hearing how that is going. Especially since Naida struggles to keep secrets.

Best of luck to you and please write back soon!

- Olivia

Penelope rolled her eyes as she finished the letter. It seemed like even though Olivia was far from them, she was still trying to keep up to date on the drama. It made a small smile cross her lips. The knight looked forward to the day when her friend would be able to return from the frontline to join her and Naida. It would be nice to have everyone back together. The knight was just about to move onto Gavin's letter when she heard Crow speak up.

She blinked and looked over him, frowning faintly as she noticed how he had gotten a bit emotional over the letter. It made her feel a small stab of guilt for taking him away from his companions and his life as a thief. Though she knew she shouldn't have—it had been his decision after all and she knew he wouldn't want her feeling guilty over it—it was still difficult not to feel the least bit to blame. The knight was at least glad she could offer him a way to write to his friends for now. Unable to take his hand to comfort him, she settled for brushing her leg against his under the table and offering a small smile.

As he switched the topic, Penelope gave a small nod. "Well I just managed to get through Olivia's letter. Seems there's been two battles since she last wrote to me. She was mainly interested in finding out what was happening on our side since I told her about Naida." she explained with a shrug.The knight casted him a small smirk. "And she also mentioned you owing her for becoming your private messenger."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow was relieved when Penelope willingly changed the subject with him. He knew his reaction to Hazel’s letter hadn’t slipped past her since she had brushed her leg against his in the only comforting gesture she could manage in the Great Hall, but that didn’t mean he wanted to talk about it. He preferred to process alone, and he also didn’t want her to think his emotional response meant he was miserable or anything. While it was true that he missed his companions greatly, the ache he felt for them was nothing compared to the pain of not having her by his side. He knew that from experience. As long as she was close to him, he would be happy no matter where he was.

As Penelope described the letter she had received form Olivia, Crow nodded thoughtfully. From what Hazel had written, he’d also known that there had been more battles lately. It sounded like the other thieves were still faring alright on the warfront, but he wondered how the knights were holding up under enemy attacks. Surely Olivia would have told Penelope if something bad had happened to one of her close comrades, so he could at least be certain that Gavin and Layth and a few others were alive. The state of the rest of the battalion was still a mystery to him though.

He blinked as he realized he suddenly had a bit more of a stake in the outcome of the war than he had as a peasant. Now that he was a nobleman, he was at risk of losing his life or being forced to suffer whatever other cruel fate the Younisians could come up with. The thought made him shiver apprehensively. He hoped Toreus’s plan to bring the kingdoms to a peaceful solution would be enough to prevent Brerra from being conquered by their enemies.

Another thought tugged at the back of his mind that he desperately wanted to repress but couldn’t bring himself to ignore: Two years ago, when he had met Aeklora—his belief that the encounter had been real was reaffirmed after Penelope had seen the Brerratic god at the pond—she had said that both Brerra and Younis would be destroyed if the king never got the staff. He wanted to believe she had been talking about the war that was currently raging between the two lands, but something told him she had been warning him about something far worse. After all, she had told him that Brerra and Younis would be the first of many. He tapped his finger absently against the table. There had to be something else going on that they weren’t aware of.

Suddenly realizing he’d fallen quiet, Crow snapped back to attention, racking his brain to remember what Penelope had just said to him. “I suppose I do owe her, but I don’t know what she could want from me,” he shrugged when the conversation came back to him, resting his chin in his palm. “Unless she wants me to officiate her wedding to Alistair.” He smirked mischievously. “I’ve done that once before, so you can tell her I’d be happy to tie the knot for their handfasting.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope raised an eyebrow at Crow as she noticed his brief silence. Thinking it must have something to do still with his companions, she didn't make any comment on it and instead shifted to take a bite from her food. As he finally spoke up again, the knight smirked in amusement at his words. "I'll be sure to include that when I write her back." she mused with a soft chuckle. Knowing how Olivia was against admitting any sort of feelings towards Alistair, she was sure it'd likely get an entertaining reaction from her friend.

"I doubt your offer will be very appreciated though." she pointed out amusedly. She shrugged her shoulders and let her gaze drift over to the second, unopened letter. Pausing from eating, she picked it up and began to unfold it, curious to see what Gavin had written. "I suppose I should get to reading this one too." the knight mumbled, partially to herself. "I have a feeling Gavin will likely give me a more detailed response to how things are going on the warfront than Olivia." Her gaze flickered over the paper as she began to read:

Dear Penelope,

It's good to hear that your efforts to end the war are going well. I hope that by the time this letter reaches you, that you have made even more progress. Things could be better here. Since you last wrote, we've had two battles. Both were hard on our battalion even though we did win one. The constant winning and losing is definitely hurt morale, but I think that goes for both sides. Most here are too stubborn to admit it though. I think a peaceful end to all of this is exactly what we need and if anyone can convince the king, it's you.

On another note, things have been... interesting here. Talk about Collin's promotion has calmed quite a bit since we spoke, although your brother is still fuming. He tried to corner me about your involvement with Collin. Of course, I didn't give him any information, rest assured. Albeit, I have a feeling I didn't do the best job of convincing him that you barely knew anything about him. You know I'm not as skilled in spinning lies as others. Regardless, I doubt you have much to worry about. I'm sure you're planning to court soon enough anyways, right?

Speaking of your brother, he's been trying to dismantle that rule passed by the barons to keep from harming the peasants since you've left. He nearly got away with it after our last loss but luckily Tomas and I were able to keep that from happening for now. I worry that could change if we have a losing streak. I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't though.

All that aside, I hope your time at the castle is going well and I look forward to hearing about your progress.

Sincerely,
Gavin Hyde

Penelope furrowed her brows slightly, a bit discouraged to hear how things were on the battlefront as well as about all the trouble her brother seemed to be causing. She let out a sigh and looked over at Crow with a small frown. "Well it seems like the battles have been a bit rough according to Gavin... Also apparently Layth has been causing him quite a bit of trouble. Asking about my involvement with you and trying to get the barons to retract the rule about being mindful of the villagers during battle." she explained with a shake of her head. "Gods I hope this party goes well so we can end this mess of a war."

[Rogue Sloth]

“Who knows?” Crow smirked when Penelope said his offer wouldn’t be very appreciated. “Maybe our two troublemakers have finally grown up.” Despite his teasing words, he knew the knight was probably right. Alistair was completely smitten with Olivia, but he had no idea how committed she was to him. Even if she did care for the thief more than she let on, she was going to be put in the same position Penelope had been in two years ago: Would she let go of her criminal lover to keep her status as a noblewoman, or would she give it all up to be with him? Not knowing her well enough to make any guesses, the viceroy had no idea which path she would choose.

While Penelope read the letter Gavin had sent her, Crow worked on his breakfast. He practiced eating with the provided utensils instead of with his hands, reluctantly accepting that he was going to have to adapt to noble culture at least a little before the upcoming party. The change forced him to slow down and take smaller bites, so he wasn’t able to devour it all as fast as he wanted to, but it wasn’t too hard now that he was getting better at using a fork.

Just as he was finishing the last of his food, he glanced up at the knight who had begun to explain what Gavin had told her about the warfront. At the mention of the battles being rough, he frowned. It wasn’t good news, but maybe it would help persuade his father to listen to the petitioners who wanted to seek peaceful terms with Younis. Any push they could use to convince the king was needed since he was so determined to form an alliance with Gorm. There weren’t very many more weeks left before he was going to be sent to negotiate with the neighboring kingdom too.

As Penelope added that Layth had been asking about them, Crow rolled his eyes. Her brother just couldn’t focus on the war when there was anything else happening that he didn’t like, could he? They were a three-day journey away from him, and it sounded like he was still making it his mission to tear them down in any way he could. He hoped the stubborn knight would learn to keep his nose out of their business soon or else their next meeting was going to be a heated one.

Apparently he was also trying to revoke the barons’ rule to protect the villagers too. That made the viceroy’s blood boil. “That’s absurd,” he scoffed incredulously. “It almost sounds like he wants to kill them. There’s no reason for anyone on the frontlines to be attacking their own people, even if they’re of a lower class.” Surely the barons wouldn’t let him get his way, right? He’d met Mia. Just based on their few interactions, he could tell that she was a caring person. The fact that she had been willing to hear out an infamous criminal instead of simply judging him based on his reputation was proof enough of that. With her strong voice on the peasants’ sides, he wanted to believe they would remain safe despite Layth’s whining.

“Me too,” he shook his head tiredly, popping the last bite of food into his mouth. “This is the only war I’ve ever lived through, but compared to the stories I’ve heard about past ones, it’s been a disaster. Someone needs to end it already.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope nodded her head in agreement as Crow scoffed. While she doubted her brother was out for innocent blood, she still found his intentions to try and remove the rule ridiculous. Knowing Layth, he was likely blaming their lack of progress on the rule. He had been against it from the beginning after all, thinking that it was holding them back as a fighting force. It wasn't difficult for her to guess he was getting just as worn out by the stalemate as everyone else and needed something to blame it on since his pride wouldn't allow him to accept a different option.

As Crow went on to agree with her sentiment about the war ending, she gave a small smile. "Well hopefully that someone is us then." she mused. The knight ate more of her food, chewing thoughtfully as she recalled what she had heard and read about past wars. They had certainly been depicted with much more glory and honor than the one they were currently fighting. It made her believe that those still pushing for victory instead of an end to it were just too stubborn and prideful to back down. She just hoped the king wasn't one of them.

With a glance towards the window, she finished off the last bit of her food and looked back over to Crow. "I better get going. I'm sure the Lenz's are already waiting for me." she mused with a sigh. She knew Dimia was rather strict, both with her valued traditions as well as her schedule. With everything the noblewoman was doing to help her, she didn't want to make her wait. Especially since they had quite a bit to do that day.

The knight began to collect her letters, pausing as she glanced over at the one Crow received. "Be sure to sneak your letter to me once you get the chance to write... Do you think you'll need help writing it again or can you handle that on your own now?" she asked curiously.

[Rogue Sloth]

“Could be,” Crow smirked when Penelope said she hoped they would be the ones to end the war. Even though their deadline to change his father’s mind was fast approaching, he was trying to remain optimistic that they could still pull it off. After all, one of the gods believed they were capable of doing it, and he was pretty sure that heavenly beings were smarter than he could ever become in his limited lifetime. If Toreus was confident in them, then he had no reason to think that just because things were looking grim from his point of view meant their mission was hopeless.

As the knight announced that she needed to go, Crow nodded. “I should too,” he said, standing up to stretch his legs. “It probably wouldn’t look good if I show up late to my first lesson after I got a day off.” He had enjoyed being able to take a whole day to do whatever he wanted, and he didn’t want to lose the opportunity to do so again. In a strange way, it reminded him of the day he’d been released from prison. Once he’d tasted freedom again, he would have fought anyone who tried to force him to give it up again. Now, he would do the same to keep from being metaphorically tied down by endless lessons.

“I will,” he agreed when she told him to sneak his letter to her when he had a chance to write back to Hazel. At her following question, he considered his options. He would have liked to write with her for the sake of spending more time together, but with the party just around the corner, he doubted that checking his spelling would be a productive use of her time.

“I think I’ll try to write it on my own this time,” the viceroy stated decisively. “If it turns out to be too difficult, I’ll let you know, but I want to see if I can do it by myself first.” He offered her a smile, “I guess I’ll see you later, love. Good luck with the Lenz’s.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope waited for Crow to decide on whether or not he wanted the extra help with his writing. When he stated that he'd try it alone first, she nodded her head and rose up to her feet. "Alright, good luck with your letter and lesson then." she told him, returning his smile. "Hopefully I'll see you later, Crow." Though they weren't always able to catch each other for every meal, she was at least glad that they had gotten breakfast together, especially with all the good news they both had. Feeling positive because of it, she turned headed out of the Great Hall and began to make her way alone to the Lenz's room, guessing that they had likely already returned there from breakfast.

Upon reaching the room, she stopped outside and knocked on the door. It didn't take long before it opened up and she was surprised by who was waiting on the other side. Naida popped out from behind the door and a wide grin crossed over lips as her gaze landed on her friend. "Penelope! There you are! I was waiting for you to get here!" she said excitedly. Before Penelope could say anything, Dimia appeared from behind the princess with her arms crossed.

"Yes, we all were." she mused impatiently.

"Well I'm here now." Penelope said with a shrug. While Dimia still didn't seem pleased, she didn't say anymore and just gestured for the two to come inside the room. Naida exchanged a glance with her friend before ducking back inside the room. The knight gave the princess a small smile and then followed the group into the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

"Soooo, more letters?" Naida asked curiously, eying the folded up letters in her hand.

"Ah not for the war. They're just from Olivia and Gavin." Penelope explained as she folded them up and tucked them away in her pocket. As she looked back to the princess, she raised an eyebrow at Naida's disheartened expression. "What's that look for?" she asked with a small sigh.

"Well... You're still talking to Gavin? I thought you two stopped courting.." Naida asked under her breath with a glance towards Dimia, who had walked across the room to the desk where the invitations appeared to be laid out.

Penelope rolled her eyes as she realized why her friend seemed disappointed. Naida must have been worried about her going back to her old suitor. Hearing her friend worrying about it now amused her a bit as it reminded her of how Crow had voiced similar concern. Of course, back then he had turned out to be correct about his assumptions towards Gavin's intention. Now, she was certain there wasn't anything to worry about though. "We did. We're just friends now." she said with a shake of her head. Before Naida could push anymore, she turned her attention over to Dimia. "I'm going to go see what Dimia needs help with." she stated before heading over to join the noblewoman at the desk.