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

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly as Penelope kissed him along his jaw. He trailed his hand absently around her waistline, enjoying the feeling of her lips against his skin. He loved her touch. The way she kissed him, the gentle caress of her hands on his back, her body pressed against his… all of it made his heart race with a mixture of affection and excitement. Whenever he was with her, he could easily forget about his problems and simply lose himself in her embrace.

As she murmured something about wishing they didn’t have to wait so long to see each other again, he nodded faintly in agreement. “Mm,” the thief moaned softly, leaning in to rest his head against her neck and running his hands along her shoulders and thigh. He pulled back a little as she went on, mirroring her frown at her words. He didn’t want to wait another week to see her again, but he knew she was probably right. Especially if there were going to be two upcoming battles, it would be difficult for either of them to get away sooner.

At her final comment, Crow averted his gaze to glance towards the door in thought. Having not seen her in a whole week and knowing that they wouldn’t meet again for another, he had been hoping they would be able to sleep together again before they parted ways. However, Penelope seemed uncertain about how much longer she would be able to stay out with him, and he didn’t want her to risk getting caught sneaking out of her camp twice in less than ten days. As much as he hated to admit it, it probably wasn’t the best idea to try. Besides that, they didn’t often have the opportunity to simply enjoy each other’s company anymore. Even though he strongly desired to be intimate with her, he valued her companionship too.

After pressing a quick kiss to her lips, he smiled at the knight. “I’m sure you can spare a bit more time,” he said confidently. Feeling affectionate, he swung his legs up onto the bed and laid down, resting his head on her lap. When he had settled down comfortably, he reached to take her hand in his, holding it against his chest as he looked up to meet her gaze. After a moment, he laughed softly and shook his head, “Gods, love. You’re beautiful no matter which angle I look at you.” Giving her hand a playful squeeze, he looked up at her again. “Aside from all that formal meeting stuff, how are you doing?” he asked with an amused smirk. “You haven’t told me about your thoughts on the war, on the knights you’re living with, or anything of the sort.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope looked over at him and smiled a little at his confidence. She nodded her head in agreement and watched as he laid down, resting his head against her. Looking down at him, she gently rubbed her thumb over his hand and blushed a little at his words. As he went on, she gave a thoughtful look at his words. "I guess we haven't talked much about that stuff, huh?" she mused. Between all that had happened, the issues they had to worry about, their plans for the future, and their limited time together, she supposed that they hadn't spoken too much about what was going on in their present lives.

"Well, you know I'm not exactly supportive of this war," she began, averting her gaze to the ground for a moment. "I truly believe it shouldn't have happened but here we are." She shook her head. "These battles aren't like anything I've seen before.. Especially the first one I was in," her voice grew a bit grave as she recalled the sight of how recklessly the knights fought in Whitebridge. "I can understand that desperation to win, to get that battle over with and hope it gets us closer to the end of the war. The villagers are defending their homes and the knights are just trying to get back home, but gods I wasn't expecting that.

"I suppose that's what happens when you give people like Bennet power. He's the baron that lead out the first battalion of knights here. He's... not the brightest. I'm sure his lack of thinking about the consequences of his soldiers' actions certainly didn't help the situation. And after him came my uncle who Bennet likely just followed the lead of, which probably just made things worse.. My uncle can be quite cruel." her voice grew a bit tense at the mention of her uncle, a man whom she wasn't fond of. She paused then looked down at Crow, shifting a bit.

"My comrades aren't all bad though," she added in a softer tone. "I know you've seen the worst of us and I know you don't think that way of me but I'm not the only one. A lot of the knights I'm with aren't bad people. Most of them are just sticking to the rules they were raised on and the world they know, trying to end the war so they can return home to their families. Although there are a few that manage to see beyond that." Penelope smiled a little as she thought of the knights she was close to. Mia, Tomas, Olivia, Gavin and even Nadia, the other female knight that was currently attending to family matters back in the inner villages, all came to mind. Though at different levels, they all managed to occasionally look past noble traditions or have sympathy for the villagers.

"What about you?" she asked, her smile remaining as she looked at him curiously. "I haven't heard much from you either you know."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow listened patiently as Penelope began to tell him about her thoughts on the war. He already knew a bit about how she felt towards everything that was happening, since they shared similar views about how the knights should or should not treat the villagers. Their lack of empathy was the whole reason why he and the other thieves had gotten involved in the first place. However, seeing the sadness on her face brought him a pang of sorrow as well.

He gave her hand a comforting squeeze as she went on to talk about the other two barons, Bennet and her uncle, and how they did nothing to better the situation. It wasn’t surprising to find out that there were such single-minded people in charge of the knights, but he was still a bit disheartened to hear it. He was glad that she had found some others amongst their battalion who were different though. It was encouraging to know that even though their leaders were solely focused on destroying the Younisian frontlines, not all of the knights shared their value to such a degree.

As she asked him about what was going on in his life, he took a moment to ponder the question. “Well, you know about the biggest issue I’ve been facing now,” he shrugged, looking up to hold her gaze. “That was the only thing I was trying to keep from you. Honest.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it before going on, “Let’s see. Aside from dealing with the illness, I’ve mostly been focusing on getting settled in the new camp. We’ve managed to buy back most of the supplies we lost, but we spent almost all of our money, so we might need to steal the rest of what we need from your camp. It won’t be a big raid though, so I doubt your comrades will even notice we took anything if we do end up looting you.

“Apart from that, there isn’t really much else going on right now. Because of the lull between battles, my companions and I have been spending a lot more of our time relaxing. It’s actually been nice. It sort of reminds me of what our lives used to look like before all the fighting started.” He smiled fondly at the memory. “Back then, we used to be much more carefree. With only ourselves to look out for, we only needed to go on raids every once in a while to get by, so we spent the rest of our time enjoying each other’s company.

“We still try to be together often, but it’s not quite the same anymore,” he sighed, shifting to lay more comfortably against Penelope’s lap. “I think the only ones amongst us who are still able to prioritize quality time are Alistair and Rikki. Simon’s always been a bit of a loner, but he’s withdrawn into himself much more since the battles began. None of us are quite sure why, but he doesn’t want to tell anyone, so we’re not going to ask him.

“I also can’t spend as much time with them anymore, since I have more responsibilities as their elected leader. Whenever additional work comes up, I’m usually the one that has to pick it up, which includes going on more trips and errands.” He frowned slightly. “Lately, since my illness has worsened, Simon’s been taking over some of those duties, but I still don’t see them all as often as I’d like. Now, I tend to sleep through half the day anyway, so I only get to spend time with them in the evenings.

“Honestly, the only one I still spend time with as often as before is Rikki,” he shook his head. “The day you left our camp, Hazel and I decided it would be best for me to tell the others about my illness. When I did, Rikki sort of… got protective, I suppose you could say. She stays by my side as often as she can now as if I could collapse at any moment.” He exhaled softly. “I guess I understand why she’s doing it, but I wouldn’t mind having a little more space to myself, you know?” He opted to leave out the detail about how the female thief had confessed that she wanted to be with him, not because he was unwilling to tell Penelope about it, but because he viewed it as his own problem to deal with. There was no reason for her to get involved when he was more than capable of taking care of it by himself.

“Anyway, even though things are different now because of the war, we’re still making the best of it,” Crow smiled up at her, running his thumb gently over her hand. “I can’t wait for all of this to be over though. I mean, I enjoy being with my companions, but I’d much rather wake up every day next to you, love.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope listened as Crow went on to answer her. She gave a small nod as he mentioned the thieves possibly raiding the camp, hoping he was correct in assuming the knights wouldn't notice. The last thing she wanted was for tensions to rise like they had before between the two groups. She was glad to hear that the thieves seemed to be doing well though despite the loss of their camp and majority of their stolen supplies. There was also a bit of relief in hearing that he wasn't pushing himself as much and getting more sleep, a change she was surprised to hear especially since she thought he was trying to keep his illness hidden from the other thieves.

As mentioned spending time with Rikki, the knight shifted uncomfortably and shifted her gaze away. The memory of the female thief cuddled close to him popped into her head. She had nearly forgotten about it until Crow brought up how she stuck around him. While the news made Penelope feel uneasy, she was partly thankful that there was someone else keeping an eye on him since she wasn't able to. Even if it did annoy him a bit.

At his final words, she looked back over at him and returned his smile, deciding to ignore the issue of Rikki as his words brought her some comfort. "That's good. I suppose that's something we're all trying to do." she said softly as she gently brushed a strand of his hair back with her free hand. "I know what you mean," she agreed with a small nod. "I'm looking forward to the day when we can stop these once in a while meetings and just be together." She leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to his forehead.

"I just hope we're able to beat Younis back in the upcoming battles.." Penelope mumbled, looking a little troubled. "I'm not sure what will happen if Younis wins this war." While she wanted to be optimistic, there was no telling what the other kingdom would do if they overpowered the Brerratic forces. She hoped they'd be merciful to their enemies but then again, she couldn't even say for certain if her own kingdom would be merciful if they were to overpower Younis.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow closed his eyes serenely as Penelope brushed a strand of hair from his face. He found it relaxing to lay against her like this, simply talking and enjoying each other’s company instead of rushing to sleep together in the limited time they had that night. While he was still fond of the latter, he was glad they had chosen to do this instead. He missed the way they used to talk so casually in Younis without worrying about time constraints or being caught by anyone. Even though it wasn’t realistic to expect anything like that while the war was going on, he was happy to be able to spend at least part of the night like they had back then.

He smiled as he felt her kiss his forehead and opened his eyes to look up at her again. “Me too,” he sighed, reaching up with his hand to caress her cheek. “We get closer to the end of this war every day. I just wish I knew how much longer it will be before it’s over.” He frowned slightly as she went on to speak of her worries about Younis winning the war. At this point, it was hard to say who would win. Even after a year of fighting, neither kingdom had been able to gain the upper hand over the other. It had been a constant back and forth of Brerra conquering pieces of Younis and vice versa. Since everything remained to be uncertain, the knight’s fears weren’t completely unfounded.

“I’m sure it’ll be alright,” Crow offered her a reassuring smile. “You remember what Younis was like, don’t you? Their people are much more peace-loving than ours. Even if they manage to somehow overpower our kingdom, I don’t think they’ll be so cruel as to turn us all into slaves or anything like that. They’ll probably just enforce their laws over us and charge taxes to their king.” Thinking about it a bit more, he doubted much, if anything, would change for him or any of the other peasants in Brerra. They had nothing to lose aside from the little freedom they had left if the Younisians did force them into slavery.

However, the nobles would likely come out much worse. The thief wouldn’t have been at all surprised if the Younisians took away their status and wealth to reduce their power. After all, nobles were the most likely group to rebel against their new authority. The Younisian king would have to have been a fool to allow them to carry on without checking their abilities to fight back.

He knitted his brow as a distant memory resurfaced that made him a bit more concerned. He recalled speaking with a Waithenese traveler a number of years ago who had told him about a war that had happened between Waithen and a now-gone kingdom called Othorus. About thirty years ago, Waithen had conquered Othorus and annexed its people. The usual procedures followed: the Waithenese knights enforced new laws in the conquered kingdom, some people were bought and sold as slaves, and the Waenyit language was taught to anyone who didn’t already speak it.

The detail that worried Crow, however, was that the Waithenese royals, instead of stripping the Othorusen nobles of their power, forced them to intermarry with the nobles of their own kingdom in order to spread their culture with less resistance. He shifted uncomfortably. Penelope was a noblewoman without a husband. If Younis chose to enforce a similar rule, she might find herself in yet another arranged marriage, and their plans to be together would be interrupted yet again.

Hopefully Brerra wins, he thought, leaning a little closer to the knight in subconscious protectiveness.

Not wanting to share his thoughts with Penelope and worry her more than she already was, Crow kept his concerns to himself. He let a brief silence fall between them as he laid against her, savoring the moment before they would have to part ways again. After a while, he reluctantly shifted to sit up again, arching his back in a languid stretch. “As much as I would love to stay here with you longer, we should probably start heading back,” he said, turning towards her. “I don’t want any of your comrades to notice you’re missing again.”

Standing up from the bed, he moved to get his cloak from the chair it was hanging over. He put it on and then grabbed Penelope’s to bring back to her. “One week, huh?” he mused as he handed the cloak off to her. “I hope this one goes by faster than the last.”

[BuzzingBee]

"I do." She responded hesitantly as he tried to reassure her about Younis. Though, she couldn't share the same optimism he had about the situaion. Younis might have been peaceful but the knight also recalled how violently they reacted to discovering the Brerratic trespassers. Her frown deepened as Abraxas passed through her thoughts. They might have been relatively peaceful amongst their own people but the knight had to wonder if that same kindness would extend to Brerra if they were to lose.

While she doubted they'd be cruel enough to enslave the villagers of Brerra, most of her concern resided in what would become of the nobles, her family and friends. She worried what would become of them if Younis won. Surely they wouldn't be overly welcomed if Brerra was to lose. The knight frowned, feeling her stomach churn anxiously at the thought.

She gave Crow's hand a small squeeze, finding comfort in his touch as she forced herself to stop thinking about the possibilities that the end of the war held. After a moment of silence, she felt him get up from her lap. She glanced over at him and gave a small nod of agreement at his words. "Yeah, I probably need to get back." she mumbled. It was getting late and she didn't want to risk anyone finding out about her being gone again. However, she was reluctant leave, especially since she knew it would be another week before they were able to see each other again.

She slowly stood up and took her cloak from him as he offered it to her. Throwing the clothing over her shoulders, she sighed, "Me too. Maybe everything that's going on will keep us busy enough to make time feel like it's going faster." She stepped over to him and wrapped her arms around. "At least, I hope so."

Penelope leaned up and pressed a kiss to his lips. After a moment she pulled back and smiled at him halfheartedly. "I love you and I'll see you in a week... and please be safe Crow. You better not break that promise." She told him with a hint of concern before finally letting him go and stepping away to leave.

[Rogue Sloth]

“Maybe,” Crow murmured with a hint of disbelief when Penelope said the days might go by faster. He had a feeling they were going to be quite the opposite. With the upcoming battle—possibly two—he suspected the days to come were going to be long and rough. He partly hoped that he might cross paths with her during the battle, but he knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to purposefully seek her out. For one thing, he didn’t want to get distracted when he needed to focus on staying alive and out of any situations that might trigger his illness. For another, he didn’t want to distract her either. He knew that if they ran into each other, she would just be concerned about protecting him during the fight. If something happened to her because of him, he didn’t know what he would do. It was better for both of them if they stayed away from each other until the battle—or battles were over.

He wrapped his arms around the small of Penelope’s back as she stepped over to embrace him. Leaning down slightly, he met her halfway when she moved to kiss him. Knowing they wouldn’t see each other for another week, he lingered there for a moment, memorizing the feeling of their lips and bodies pressed against each other. It didn’t do much to lessen his discouragement that they would have to be separated for so long again, but he felt a bit more at ease when they finally parted.

At her parting words, he smiled softly. “I love you too. And don’t worry; I’m a man of my word.” He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before loosening his hold on her, so that she could step back from him. Walking with her to the door, he stepped around the knight to pull it open. He allowed her to pass through first and then followed her into the night, making sure to shut the door behind him. Having already said his words of goodbye to her, he turned to head back to his camp. However, he didn’t get far before he heard a faint rustling sound come from around the side of the house.

Crow bristled and turned towards the source of the noise. Had someone followed them? He tensed, reaching for the daggers he kept at his waist. He hoped it was just a wild animal. There were often raccoons and other small creatures wandering about Myrefall during the night, so it wasn’t unlikely. Besides, if it was a person, they were acting strangely by trying to take cover. The only ones around who might happen to eavesdrop on them that he knew of were the local guards, and it was unusual for any knight to hide in such a furtive manner. Perhaps a rogue thief had happened upon the small house and hadn’t realized the occupants were leaving?

Casting a wary glance towards Penelope, he slowly and quietly edged his way around the side of the old building with his weapons drawn and his guard raised high. As he neared the backside of the house, he narrowed his eyes, catching sight of the toe of a boot around the corner. So, it wasn’t an animal after all. Taking advantage of the fact that the stranger hadn’t seemed to notice him yet, he raised the dagger in his right hand and crept up to the edge of the wall. In the next moment, he stepped out sharply and pivoted on the ball of his foot, pressing his left hand forcefully against the person’s chest to pin them to the wall while he aimed his dagger at their throat with the other.

The thief curled his lip in a threatening snarl, prepared to question the stranger about what they were doing outside the house, but then faltered as he caught sight of a familiar face. “Rikki?” he breathed as he met his friend’s frightened brown eyes. Lowering his blade from her neck, he blinked at her confusedly. “What are you doing here?”

“I…” she faltered, averting her gaze as she choked on her own words. As she turned her head, Crow caught a glimpse of tears in her eyes, reflected in the moonlight, and he felt the color drain from his face.

“H-how long have you been standing out here?” he stammered, taking a step back to release her from the wall.

Rikki took a moment to collect herself before she replied in hoarse voice, “The whole time.” Looking up at him again, she rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palm, streaking wet tears across her cheeks. “I followed you from camp because I wanted to make sure you were safe… At first, I stayed away from this place because I didn’t want to eavesdrop, but you were taking so long, I just… I-I wanted to see if you were alright and—” she choked again and brought a hand to her mouth to muffle the sound of her quiet cries.

“You saw, didn’t you?” Crow said quietly.

“Through the window,” Rikki murmured, sniffling softly.

He sighed, sheathing his daggers and turning back to Penelope. “You should go back to your camp,” he said. “I’ll talk to her.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope stepped out of the small home and swept her gaze over the street, making sure there weren't any guards around. It seemed clear so she began to head off towards her camp. She only managed to take a couple steps when she heard rustling nearby. The knight froze and glanced over at Crow, noticing that he had heard it as well. Her heart raced a little faster, anxious at the possibility that perhaps someone had followed her from the camp. As Crow began to edge around the building, she bent down to draw her dagger from her boot and then moved to follow him.

She hung back slightly. Depending on who it was, she might need to try and keep her identity hidden, if that was still possible. However, Penelope kept her dagger drawn, ready to leap to defend Crow if the unknown source of sound did attack. She followed behind as he crept down the wall of the building. She grew tense as he moved to attack and remained on the other side of the wall as he leapt out. Penelope readied herself to jump to his aid if needed but was caught off guard as Crow realized it was Rikki.

The knight blinked in surprise and put away her blade before moving to quietly step around the corner. Her gaze fell on the female thief. It didn't take her long to learn that the other woman was crying and why. Penelope averted her gaze, feeling a pang of sympathy for the heartbroken thief. Though she had never experienced quite what Rikki was going through, the knight knew what heartbreak felt like in her own ways, like when she had to give up Crow because of the failed mission. It was something she wouldn't wish on anyone.

Crow broke her from her thoughts as he addressed her again. She looked up at him and paused, glancing over at Rikki with a small look of pity before looking back to Crow. "Alright." She agreed quietly. "See you." The knight turned and headed off back towards the main street leaving the two thieves alone. As she walked, Penelope wondered what Rikki finding out about them would mean and if it was something she should be worried about. Rikki had seemed friendly enough when Penelope had been around her and she seemed to care greatly for Crow so she doubted she would do anything that would harm him.

However, just like how she worried about Gavin handling the news, Penelope felt a bit of worry that Rikki might try to find a way to use this against them. The thieves likely wouldn't approve of his relationship with her, at least that's what she assumed due to how he hid it from them, so perhaps Rikki would tell the others and use it to try and separate them. Penelope frowned at the thought. They already had enough standing in their way. She let out a small sigh and focused her gaze ahead as she headed into the forest, hoping that Crow would be able to handle the situation alright.

[Rogue Sloth]

As soon as Penelope had gone, Crow turned back to Rikki, looking her over as he tried to think of the best way to handle the situation. After a moment, he spoke up, “Come on; we should start walking back to camp.” He waved his arm in a gesture to leave and waited for her to comply before he fell in step beside her. They lapsed into silence again as they headed through village, the quiet only broken by her intermittent sobs. He felt a pang of sadness for her and was suddenly tempted to try to explain everything to her right there. However, he knew it would be best to wait until she had calmed down a bit, so she would be able to have a coherent conversation with him.

They walked for a while until they reached the edge of the forest. By this point, Rikki’s cries had faded into occasional sniffles, so he guessed she had gotten most of it out of her system. “I’m sure this all probably came as a shock to you,” he said softly, looking ahead to avoid meeting her tear-filled gaze. “And I know you must have a lot of questions for me. I just want to start by saying that I’m sorry you found out this way. I was going to tell you all eventually; I was just hoping it wouldn’t be like this.”

“I just… I don’t get it,” Rikki murmured, shaking her head. “You told me you didn’t want a relationship, but I heard you talking to her in there about your plans for the future.” She turned to him with a frown, her chin quivering slightly as she grew dangerously close to crying again. “Was all of it just a lie? If it was just me you didn’t want to be with, you could have said so. I could have handled it.”

“That’s not it at all,” Crow turned to her, hoping she could hear the sincerity in his voice. “You’re an amazing woman, love. You’re beautiful, funny, caring, and an incredibly talented thief.” He offered her a halfhearted smile. “My reasons for not courting you have nothing to do with who you are. Honestly, if we had met a few years earlier, or if Penelope hadn’t come back into my life… perhaps I could have brought myself to love you.”

Sniffling quietly, Rikki averted her gaze again without replying. Crow sighed and did the same. He knew that his words probably did nothing to comfort her. He just wanted her to know the truth. “When I told you last year that I didn’t want a committed relationship, I was speaking the truth,” he said. “I never told any of you this, but… two years ago, when I had gotten out of prison, I was sent to Younis with three knights by the king’s orders. I was told to steal something for him, and they were assigned to guard me, so I couldn’t escape.

“Penelope was one of those knights,” he glanced at her again. “Over the course of the journey, we grew close and eventually fell in love with each other. Even though she was a knight and I was a thief, we found that we couldn’t help it. We cared about each other in a way that defies the culture of our kingdom.” He shook his head as he went on, “We were planning to be together back then, but… a number of things went wrong. Long story short, she was never able to join me in the outer villages, and I believed her to be dead.

“After that, I didn’t think I could handle getting so close to anyone else… not after losing her like that. That’s why I told you I didn’t want anything serious. If I let myself get close to you, and I lost you like I thought I had lost her…” he trailed off, unable to bring himself to complete the thought. After a brief pause, he went on in a quiet voice, “When I found out she was still alive, it changed everything. I realized I had a second chance to be with her, and it turns out she still wants to be with me too. That’s what you overheard us talking about… Once this war is over, she and I are planning to pick up where we left off and be together as we intended two years ago.”

Now finished with his explanation, Crow fell silent and watched Rikki as he waited for her reaction. At first, she said nothing, though he couldn’t tell if it was because she was trying not to cry again or because she was genuinely unsure what to say. Perhaps it was some combination of the two. However, after a long pause, she finally spoke up without meeting his gaze, “This is the real reason why you’ve been avoiding me lately, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“I see,” she took a shaky breath. “I suppose I can sort of understand, but I’m hurt that you would lie to me about everything. Why didn’t you just tell me the truth? It feels like you’ve been leading me on this whole time. You let me keep hoping for a future you knew was never going to happen. If you really care about me as much as you’ve said you do, then why would you do that?”

Crow blinked, caught off guard by her words. He had never thought about it that way before. He had been so caught up in his worries about what his companions might do to him if they found out about Penelope that he never once considered how his lies might have hurt any of them. He lowered his gaze, suddenly ashamed of himself. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to lead you on. I guess I was just hoping you would eventually move on on your own… I should have been more considerate of your feelings.”

“Yes, you should have,” Rikki shook her head. “I would never do something like this to you, Crow. I guess I should have known better than to expect the same respect from you.”

The thief winced as her harsh words hit him like a sucker punch to his stomach. He knew he didn’t deserve anything more from her after he had toyed with her heart like that—even if he hadn’t done so on purpose—but it didn’t lessen the pain. “I’m sorry,” he said again, avoiding her pained eyes. He could already feel an invisible wedge driving them apart, tearing at the closeness they had built up over the year they had been together. It hurt to know that he was probably going to lose her friendship over this. As selfish as it was, he still wanted to be friends with her when everything settled down.

“I know I shouldn’t ask anything more of you after what I’ve done, and you have no reason to do anything for me, but… would you please not say anything to Simon or Alistair about me and Penelope?” Crow asked tentatively. “I want them to hear it from me first.”

“You’re right, I don’t have a reason to help you,” Rikki said coldly. “But that’s the difference between you and me. I don’t need a reason to be kind to someone.”

“So, you won’t tell them?” he said, slightly surprised.

“No, I won’t,” she glanced at him. “I may be upset with you, but I’m not so petty as to go around and gossip about your forbidden romance just to get revenge. You should know me well enough by now to know that I would never do something like that.”

“You’re right,” he exhaled. “You’re a great person, and you didn’t deserve any of this. I’m so sorry I hurt you… I wish I’d handled this better. If I could go back in time and take it all back, I would.”

“Too bad, huh?” Rikki muttered. Another short moment of silence dragged on between them before she spoke again, “I may not go out of my way to get you back for this, but when we get back to camp, don’t talk to me for a while. I need some time to think.”

“Of course,” Crow nodded, feeling a pang of sadness that she wanted to stay away from him. Even though he found her constant company to be a nuisance sometimes, he did enjoy having her around. It was going to be strange to not have her by his side anymore when they returned.

With neither thief having anything left to say to the other, they spent the rest of their trip back to the tunnels in tense silence. They skirted around the edge of the waterfall and stepped inside to find the others already asleep on their mats. Crow headed over to his bed to lay down for the night. He quietly kicked off his boots and pulled his blanket up to his chin, closing his eyes as he tried to fall asleep, so he could forget about his uncomfortable conversation with Rikki.

However, before he had a chance to drift off, he looked up as he heard a scraping sound and saw the female thief dragging her mat away from where it had been set up next to his. She dropped it on the other side of the sleeping area and laid down with her back to him, pulling her blanket over her head. It was faint, but he could hear the sound of muffled sobs coming from her direction as she began to cry again.

Crow rolled over to face away from her, pulling his blanket higher as well to block out the noise. With her sobs as an incessant reminder of the way he had hurt her that night, he tossed and turned for a long time until he finally drifted off into a fitful sleep.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope walked quietly back to her camp, unable to stop from wondering how Crow's conversation with Rikki went. The knight let out a long exhale and looked up at the sky as she walked. There was no sense in worrying about it now, especially since it would be a week before she met Crow again and was able to find out if everything went ok. She hoped the best for both of them and then focused back ahead as her camp eventually came into view.

The knight slowed her pace for a moment, eying the guard's current positions before slipping around them towards her tent. She stepped carefully and managed to get by them without any trouble. Penelope headed into her tent and soon settled down for the night. While meeting with Crow again was another week away, the next battle was only two days away and that meant she'd have to be prepared.

---

The next day came and the knights were already beginning to prepare for their departure for Whitebridge. Though it was another day away, the barons were still intent on pushing for Grimsby after the first battle and that meant the knights would need to have supplies nearby in order to be ready. Mia had spoken with Bran about borrowing a couple horses from the cavalry and hooking them up to wagons that would follow the troops at a distance. A small group had been assigned to help with loading the wagons and keeping stock of the supplies they would be taking.

Penelope was quick to offer her assistance, wanting to keep busy as she felt a bit anxious about the coming days. She carried a bag of food and set it down in the wagon. Rolling her shoulders, she stepped down and looked over as she noticed Jane carrying over a small box of medical supplies. "They even have you getting prepared too, huh?" She asked as the physician passed by.

"Of course," Jane said as she set the box down at the wagon's edge. She turned over to Penelope. "I have to be prepared for two battles after all... and my workstation is going to be the back of this wagon."

"You're coming?"

Jane nodded. "Someone has to look after you knights."

"I just hope someone looks after the wagon." growled Layth as he walked up carrying two bags. "Those damn thieves are still out there."

"Is that your way of volunteering for guard duty, Layth?" Gavin asked with a raised eyebrow as he stepped over to the group. "I'm sure the barons would be fine with it if you just ask nicely."

Penelope smirked a little at Gavin's words. Though she was amused, she was a bit hopeful Layth would settle for guarding the wagon. It would likely keep him and Crow far from each other and that was something the female knight was hoping for. That is, unless the thieves decided to try and steal the supplies.

Layth glared at Gavin. "Perhaps I will considering neither you nor my sister are capable enough." He remarked, shooting an accusing glance at Penelope.

The female knight rolled her eyes at her brother. Jane crossed her arms as she looked at the knights. "Come on you three. We still have quite a bit to pack so enough squabbling, get to work." She said shooing them off.

Layth shot her an annoyed look before pushed past the physician to put down the bags he carried into the wagon. Penelope turned and headed off to collect more supplies and Gavin trailed after her.

[Rogue Sloth]

The next morning, Crow was the last to wake as usual. He sat up on his bed to see that the cavern was mostly empty. All three of the other thieves had left, and the only one who remained with him was Hazel. The herbalist had her back to the rock wall on the other side of the cavern and was scribbling in her journal, intermittently chewing on the end of her quill as she worked. She only looked up when she noticed him get up and walk over to sit beside her, and even then, she only spared him a brief glance before returning to whatever it was that she was writing.

“What time is it?” Crow asked, stretching his legs out as he leaned back against the stony wall. His green eyes swept over the cave, and he noticed that the breakfast dishes had already been washed and were currently sitting on a cloth near the entrance to dry. The sight made him frown slightly. This was the first time in a while that he’d missed breakfast. Even if he slept through the meal, Rikki had always saved a portion for him to eat when he woke up. He felt a fresh pang of guilt as the thought reminded him of how he had hurt her. After everything that had happened the night before, he doubted she would save him food ever again.

“It’s almost midday,” Hazel answered, scrawling something down on the yellowed page that he couldn’t read. A short pause fell between them for a moment before she spoke up again, “So, how was your meeting last night?”

Crow eyed her suspiciously. There was a knowing edge to her voice that he didn’t like. “The meeting was fine,” he said curtly.

“Mhm,” Hazel looked up from her book and smirked at him. “Anything interesting happen?”

Now he was sure she knew more than she was letting on. “You knew Raven followed me, didn’t you?” he narrowed his eyes at her accusingly.

“We all knew she was going after you,” the herbalist rolled her eyes. “As soon as you left, she announced to everyone that she was going to make sure you got there and back alright.”

“Why didn’t you stop her?”

“Because she had a good point,” she shrugged. “In your condition, you shouldn’t be out on your own… Also, I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to throw a loop into your perfect little fantasy world.” She smirked at him slyly.

Crow scoffed and shook his head. Rikki may not have been a vengeful person, but Hazel most certainly was. “Well, I hope you’re pleased with yourself, because thanks to you, Raven found out about me and Penelope in the worst possible way.”

“She walked in on you two?” Hazel snorted and brought a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh.

“No,” he rolled his eyes. “Honestly, I could have played that off easier. She saw us kiss and overheard us talking about our plans after the war.”

The herbalist whistled, “Wow, there’s no coming back from that one, is there?”

“Not a chance,” he sighed, drawing his knees to his chest.

“Well, that makes two women you’ve hurt now, snake,” Hazel clicked her tongue. “Looks like you’re becoming a bit of a heartbreaker.”

“It’s not like I’m trying to be,” he raised his voice slightly in frustration. “I just don’t understand what the right move is in these sorts of situations. Every time I think I’ve figured it out, someone gets hurt.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t get it. How do I keep making all the wrong decisions?”

Hazel’s lip twitched upward in an amused smile. “It’s because you’re too in your head, moron,” she said, poking his forehead with her index finger. “If you’re going to deal with an emotional situation, you’ve gotta be more empathetic. Try to think about it from the other person’s perspective and don’t do anything that seems like it’s likely to offend them.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Crow muttered irritably.

“It is. You’re just a dumbass.”

“Shut up,” he shoved her shoulder and then glanced around the cave again. “Anyway, do you know where the others went? Penelope told me the next battle will be happening tomorrow, so we need to prepare to leave before the afternoon is over.”

“Tomorrow?” Hazel quirked a brow. “That’s pretty soon.” She paused. “So… I take it you’re still planning to go with them?”

“I am,” he nodded.

“Do you have a plan yet?”

“No, but I’ll think of something along the way.”

“If you say so,” she shrugged. “Just don’t get yourself killed, alright? We might finally be onto something with your medicine, and it would be a real waste for you to go and get your head lopped off before I see some results.”

Crow clicked his tongue in mock disappointment, “Damn; and I was so hoping to let a knight decapitate me this time. Too bad.”

“Whatever, smartass,” Hazel snorted. “Anyway, if you’re looking for the others, Simon told me they were all going to the clearing to the north to practice sparring. They didn’t leave long before you woke up, so I’d bet anything they’re still there.”

“Thanks,” he nodded appreciatively and rose to his feet. “I’ll be back soon.” With that, he stepped over the opening behind the waterfall as he headed out to tell the other thieves the news about the upcoming battle.

[BuzzingBee]

"You're brother is pleasant company as usual I see." Gavin sighed as the two walked away from the others.

"Just go ahead and call him an ass, Gavin. I know you want to." Penelope said with a small chuckle as she looked over at the male knight. Gavin smiled faintly and shrugged his shoulders before pausing, taking on a more serious look.

"But... is he right to worry?" Gavin asked lowering his voice as his gaze searched over hers. Penelope looked over at him, a little confused at what he was hinting at until it clicked. She blinked in realization that he was trying to find out if the thieves were planning to steal from the knights.

"I don't know." She muttered with a dismissive shrug. Penelope shifted her gaze away from Gavin, suddenly feeling rather cautious around the male knight. Crow did mention them potentially looting the knights but it didn't sound like they would take much. Plus she wasn't too sure she trusted Gavin with such information. While he may have been a good friend to her, his loyalties weren't split like hers, his remained solely with the knights. Which meant he could be a threat to Crow and the other thieves if he found out anything.

Gavin frowned a little at her. "I'm just asking because.. well we have two battles coming up. We need our supplies if we're going to win them both."

"We'll be fine." she assured him with a small shrug before lowering her voice to add, "Even if they did steal from us, they aren't greedy. They take what they need.. He wouldn't purposely put us at a disadvantage."

"They took the whole wagon before though.." Gavin pointed out.

"They also stole from Younis to make it even and probably to try and delay the next battle." Penelope responded quickly. She came to a halt and turned her head to meet Gavin's gaze. The male knight still looked uncertain and she let out a small sigh, wishing he would understand. "I know we're trained to think one way about criminals but they're not all heartless or thoughtless, Gavin. For example, you don't think lowly of peasants just because of their status do you?"

"Well no but-"

"Exactly." Penelope cut him off and offered him a half-hearted smile. "The same applies to them. Honestly it applies to everyone and people need to start realizing that. So can you at least try to? Or at least stop trying to convince me otherwise."

Gavin held her gaze for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. "Alright.. I can't make any promises but I trust you."

Penelope smiled up at him and gave an appreciative nod. "Thank you." She said before turning to grab another sack of supplies. Gavin followed her lead grabbing one as well.

---

It took them most of the day to finish packing the supplies for the trip. Lifting the heavy bags and boxes all day left Penelope's muscle aching. The female knight let out a soft groan as she stepped into her tent for the night. She retired to bed early, wanting to sleep off the day's work so she could be prepared for the journey and battle to come. As she laid back on her mat, the knight stretched out her limbs and then closed her eyes as she settled down for the night.

Sleep didn't come easy though. She found herself worrying about what the following days would bring. If they'd be able to push back the Younisian forces, if her family and friends would be ok, and if Crow would decide to fight. The knight sighed and rolled over onto her side, trying to ignore it all and get comfortable. It was difficult, but after tossing and turning a few more times, the knight finally drifted off into a deep sleep.

[Rogue Sloth]

It didn’t take long before Crow reached the clearing where the other thieves were sparring. He walked up to the edge of the tree line and stood back to watch as Rikki and Simon fought with short swords. Despite the difference in their sizes, Rikki was overpowering Simon with relentless ferocity. She swung her blade in rapid succession as she beat him towards the edge of the clearing, leaving him little time to do anything more than block her fierce attacks. The sight made Crow cringe slightly. He had never seen her go after anyone so viciously, but he had a few guesses as to why she was acting this way.

“Oh hey, Crow,” Alistair, who was sitting at the base of a nearby tree to watch the match, said as he took notice of his leader’s arrival. “I hope you’re not here to join in. Rikki’s absolutely merciless today.”

“No,” he shook his head, casting a glance towards the sparring thieves before moving to sit down beside Alistair. Settling down against the tree, he crossed his forearm over his knee in a relaxed posture. “I came to tell you all the news about the next battle,” he explained, grimacing as the sound of clashing blades filled the air as Rikki drove her sword into Simon’s yet again. “Although I’m starting to fear this may not be the best time.”

“I don’t know,” Alistair gave a one shouldered shrug. “Something’s got Rikki really mad.” He turned towards Crow with a curious look. “She was fine until she went out to find you last night. Did you do something that upset her?”

Crow shifted his weight and nodded reluctantly, “Yeah.”

“What was it?” Alistair asked and then nudged him teasingly. “Couldn’t finish the job?”

“Of course not,” Crow snorted, punching him in the arm. “I always ‘finish the job.’ Besides,” he looked away uncomfortably. “It has nothing to do with that. We didn’t sleep together last night.”

Alistair eyed him for a moment before looking back to watch the fight. “Well, whatever it is, I’m sure she’ll bounce back eventually,” he said reassuringly. “She’s a hardy woman, that Rikki.”

“I hope so,” Crow sighed, propping his chin in his palm as he turned to the two thieves’ match as well.

After they sparred for a while longer, Simon eventually conceded to Rikki out of pure exhaustion. The two sheathed their swords, wiping the sweat from their brows as they headed over to the tree where Alistair and Crow were still sitting. As she caught sight of him, Rikki visibly stiffened and averted her gaze, glaring angrily at a tree off to the side. “I’m going to go get some water,” she muttered, turning to leave. However, before she could take more than three steps, Crow spoke up to stop her.

“Actually,” he said, rising to his feet. “I need everyone to stay here.” He crossed his arms over his chest and met her gaze tenaciously, gesturing with a subtle tilt of his head for her to come back to the group. She clenched her jaw at him in defiance for a moment but then reluctantly took a small step back towards Simon and Alistair. He felt himself relax, relieved that she wasn’t outwardly rebelling against his authority. He didn’t want to involve any of the others in their personal issues.

Once they were all ready to listen, he went on to relay everything Penelope had told him the night before: “The next battle is going to be happening tomorrow in Whitebridge. Supposedly the knights are trying to take advantage of the supplies they took back from us last week. They intend to strike while they have the upper hand over Younis and work their way north toward the captured village of Grimsby. If they succeed, there will be two consecutive battles this time.

“It will be harder for us to keep up with them for sure,” Crow acknowledged as he noticed his companions exchange concerned looks. “But I’m sure we’ll be able to handle it. And if not, we can always fall back to save ourselves if two battles prove to be too much. I don’t want anyone here to lose their lives over this.”

There was a short moment of silence before Simon cleared his throat awkwardly. “Correct me if I’m wrong,” he said tentatively. “But we were all under the impression that you wouldn’t be coming with us until your illness is healed.”

“Yeah,” Alistair frowned. “You said you were going to stay out of battles.”

“I’m not going to get involved in the thick of the fighting,” Crow said, a bit surprised by their concerned reactions. “But I’m still coming with you.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea?” Simon knitted his brow.

“I’ll be fine,” Crow snapped, speaking a bit more harshly than he had intended to. Taking a moment to collect himself, he went on in a calmer tone, “I’m going to find a way to get involved without putting myself in danger. You’ll see. Nothing is going to go wrong.”

“If you’re sure, then I trust you,” Alistair shrugged.

Simon hesitated for a moment before nodding, “I, as well.”

Rikki simply raised her shoulders in wordless apathy.

“Alright then,” Crow stood up a bit straighter, feeling renewed confidence now that they weren’t trying to stop him from joining them. “If we’re all on the same page, then let’s go pack our supplies. We’ve got a battle to prepare for.”

--

The four thieves finished gathering everything they needed for the trip to Whitebridge relatively quickly. With the next battle happening in less than a day, none of them wanted to waste any time getting ready for it. Even Hazel filled a bag with herbs and other medical supplies to bring, as she insisted on tagging along to keep working on Crow’s medicine and help treat their wounds if any of them got injured during the battle.

As he packed his own gear, Crow armed himself with his usual weaponry, but this time he added a war bow to the collection. Intending to honor his promise to Penelope, he decided he should bring the long-ranged weapon so that he would have a way to fight without getting close to his enemies. Preferring the flexibility and versatility of daggers and other short blades, he didn’t often use bows and arrows anymore, but he still practiced with them on occasion to keep his skills sharp. He found that he improved quickly whenever he picked the weapon up. Having come quite far from when Penelope had first taught him two years ago, he was much faster at taking aim now, and he could hit a moving target with ease. If he could find a way to use it during the next two battles, he was sure he would be safe from harm.

Once everyone was ready to go, the five headed north for the village. The sun was still high in the sky when they departed, so they managed to reach their usual campsite by dusk. As was his routine, Crow went ahead to warn the villagers about the coming fight, accompanied by Alistair this time. Once word had spread, the two thieves headed the evacuation of the people who were not going to stay and fight for their homes.

Now back in his camp with the others, Crow felt the full weight of the dismal mood in the air. The forest was silent apart from the quiet cries of distressed women and children who feared for the lives of their family members who had stayed behind. With the last battle that took place in Whitebridge still fresh in everyone’s minds, he was sure they were probably expecting the worst. He didn’t blame them. The dirt on the graves of the last battle’s fallen hadn’t even finished settling, yet now they had to face the nightmare all over again. It was an unfair thing to expect any of them to feel confident in such a situation.

With such a sorrowful atmosphere about them, the thieves were in no mood to talk with each other. They finished a tasteless dinner and went straight to bed, hoping to get as much sleep as they could before the battle tomorrow.

As his companions settled down around him, Crow laid down on his mat and pulled his blanket over his head, trying to muffle the sounds of the villagers’ distressed murmurs. It was a task that was easier said than done, but eventually, he managed to drift off into a restless sleep filled with unsettling dreams about the upcoming fight.

[BuzzingBee]

The next morning came quick and the camp was bustling as everyone readied for departure. Edward and Mia took the head of the battalion while Bennet remained to continue to run things within the camp. In the end, Layth ended up on guard duty for the wagon with a couple other knights. Though Edward seemed to agree with his lieutenant that they needed to be cautious of the thieves raiding their limited supplies, they weren't able to spare too many knights so it wasn't as overly guarded as Layth had been hoping for.

With the wagon ready and the troops in place, the knights began their walk. Penelope spent most of her trip with Tomas, Mia and Edward at the front of the group. Amongst the older nobles, she found herself a little more at ease than she previously was. Mia was confident her battle plans and Tomas was confident in her, all of which caused for a rather calming presence despite what lied ahead. Edward rode silently ahead with his usual cold expression and though not directly confident like the other two, he seemed battle ready.

It took the knights a good portion of the day to reach Whitebridge. By the time they had reached the battlefield, the sun was close to beginning it's slow descent from the sky. The wagon was further behind, staying hidden beyond the frontline as well as the village. Edward rode off to command his section of the battalion into position, angling them on the right of where they'd be attacking the Younisians while Mia commanded her troops to attack head on. The barons were looking to overpower and corner the Younisians and were attempting to do so more effectively by the positionings of the battalion.

Penelope let out a shaky breath and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, mentally preparing herself from the chaos of battle. Though she hadn't seen many, she was already becoming more familiar with the madness of it. A moment of silence passed before Mia signaled for them to draw their weapons. Obediently, the knights followed her command. Penelope gripped her sword and exchanged a glance with Tomas before focusing her gaze back ahead. She held her breath until Mia finally led the charge towards the less than prepared Younisian forces.

Following the baroness, Penelope charged into battle with her comrades. Immediately she clashed her sword with an enemy knight's and skirted around him as he drew back then lunged at her. Before he could strike at her again, Tomas joined her side, running the man through with his sword. She noticed the older lieutenant cringe slightly before pulling back and moving on to the next fight. Following his lead, Penelope did the same and quickly lunged forward to engage in another fight with a Younisian soldier that came charging at her.

[Rogue Sloth]

The day of the battle had come. The thieves woke early in the morning—Simon roused Crow, who didn’t get up on his own—to prepare their weapons, since they didn’t know the exact time when the knights would arrive at the border. They sharpened their blades and inspected everything over to make sure it would hold up during the fighting. Since most of their higher quality weaponry had been taken by the knights, they wanted to be especially careful with the ones that remained. After all, it would be trouble if the blade of someone’s sword snapped or an arrow didn’t pierce its target. They wanted to be certain that they only took their best weapons into battle.

Once they had gone through everything and armed themselves with the sturdiest of their weapons, the thieves said their goodbyes to Hazel—the herbalist was going to stay behind to care for the villagers—and headed out to the border. When they reached it, the first thing Crow noticed was that forest was eerily quiet, like the calm before the storm. It seemed that even in the late morning, he and the others had still managed to beat the knights there.

Taking advantage of the time he still had, the thief climbed up a nearby tree with a wide trunk and thick, leafy branches. He ascended until he reached a spot that, from what he could tell, was mostly hidden from the ground below yet still had a good vantage point of the clearing where the battle was likely to take place.

Settling lazily against the trunk, he sat down and leaned with his back against the rough bark, dangling one leg over the edge of the branch. His bow rested loosely across his lap and his eyes were fixed on the horizon as his mind wandered to the upcoming fight. He hoped that, since Brerra had an advantage over Younis because of the stolen supplies, the knights from their kingdom would be able to keep the battle on the Younisian side of the border this time. It would be a pleasant break for the villagers to not have to defend their homes this time around. He shuddered to imagine the heartache that would come if the people had to bury more of their loved ones again so soon.

Crow continued to muse absently about the war until he eventually heard the sound of rustling down below. Tensing slightly, he craned his neck to look through the leaves to see what was causing the sound. After searching for a moment, he caught sight of the Berratic knights. They had finally arrived and were headed directly for the Younisian camp. The battle would begin soon.

He shifted to reposition himself in a way that would give him a better shot at the clearing, wanting to be prepared to stop any knights that slipped away from the main battle. Once he had settled down again, he double checked the fastening of the bracer on his left arm and the tautness of his bowstring, making sure he wouldn’t have any issues when the fighting began. Once he felt satisfied that both were secure, he turned back to the knights, watching as they assembled to attack.

For a moment, everything was quiet. But then he heard a woman’s battle cry, and suddenly the Brerratic knights charged at the Younisians, commencing the fight.

Crow observed them with hawk-like focus. He drew an arrow from his quiver and loaded it loosely into the bow, resting the shaft along his index finger and holding the feathered end against the string. His arms were tense, ready to draw the weapon at a moment’s notice should he happen to see any unfortunate knights try to come towards the village.

He didn’t have to wait long.

Shortly after the battle began, he spotted a Younisian knight cut across the rear of the Brerratic forces. It was unclear if he was trying to push towards the border alone or if he was merely trying to get behind his opponents to strike from their blind spots. The thief wasn’t going to take any chances.

In one swift motion, he cocked back the arrow in his hand and let it fly, listening to the soft twang of the bowstring as it snapped back into place. He held his breath intently until he saw the knight’s head jerk to the side, and the man collapsed to the ground. He smirked to himself. The arrow had hit its mark.

Reaching over his shoulder, he pulled another arrow from his quiver and rested it in the bow. As the battle continued on, he repeated the process, loosing arrows at any knights that looked like they were going to start heading towards Whitebridge, regardless of which battalion they belonged to. He aimed all of his shots at the knights’ heads and chests, making sure none were able to make it past him once they fell in his sights.

So far, he found it easy to keep the knights at bay. Because they had no idea where he was, they were unable to defend themselves against his assault. As long as none of them figured out where the arrows were coming from, he doubted he was going to have any trouble at all in this battle.

[BuzzingBee]

As the battle wore on, the Brerratic forces were able to keep the battle on the Younisian side of the border and began to push the enemy forces further back into their own land. Penelope found a great sense of relief in seeing that most knights remained away from Whitebridge, both because it meant the village would be safer and so would Crow, if he had chosen to fight. As she fought, she attempted to make sure that no group of enemy knights slipped past them to attack the nearby village. However, as her battalion began to overpower the Younisian knights, it became less likely so she didn't concern herself with the village as much.

"Alan!"

Dispatching another Younisian knight, Penelope froze as a familiar voice cut through the air around her. She turned her head just in time to see a Younisian knight pull his sword out of Alan's chest while Gavin looked over in horror. The female knight faltered slightly as she watched her comrade fall to the ground. Though she and Alan hadn't been on the best of terms as of late, it was still quite shocking to see him killed. Her gaze flickered over to Gavin, who's guard had dropped due to the focus on his now fallen friend. Worry sparked in her as she realized he was now outnumbered and reeling from the death of his close friend.

She hurried over to his side, angling her sword to deflect one of the enemy knight's attack from him. "Gavin focus." she told with a frown as she positioned herself besides him. Gavin looked over her with a pained expression before giving a small nod, as his gaze narrowed in on the Younisian knight. He curled his lip up in a snarl and lunged viciously at the enemy knight. Penelope was a bit surprised to seem him attacking so violently. His grief seemed quick to change into anger now that he wasn't focusing on Alan's body.

As long as it keeps him fighting, I don't have any complaints. She thought as she focused back on her own fight. Swords clashed and her blade sliced into the enemy knight's hand, making him drop his weapon as he let out a sharp yelp. Not giving him time to recover, Penelope striked the man's throat and then took a step back as she looked over at Gavin, who had also managed to defeat his opponent.

The male knight lowered his sword and took a step over to Alan's side, looking down at his friend with misty eyes. "I couldn't get to him quick enough..." he choked out, clenching the hilt of his sword.

Penelope swept her gaze over their surroundings. The main battle seemed to be moving past them, so she guessed the battle would be nearing its end soon. Spotting no enemies coming near them, she relaxed enough to step over to Gavin, placing a hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Gavin," she paused as her gaze flickered up to the sky. "Don't blame yourself though.. You can't protect everyone all the time.."

The male knight gave a nod and a silence fell between them. Gavin seemed to be trying to collect himself and Penelope focused on making sure they wouldn't be attacked. The two barely noticed that the battle ended and that Brerra had secured a firm victory over the Younisian forces.

[Rogue Sloth]

As the battle raged on, it became clear to Crow that the Younisians didn’t even have a chance at leveling the battlefield. Unlike the last two fights, the Brerratic knights were the ones to drive their enemies back into their own kingdom this time. The thief let out his breath in relief and shouldered his bow, pressing a hand against the tree trunk as he moved to stand up. He perched precariously on the branch as he watched the Younisians retreat in the distance, their camp having been destroyed by the knights of his own land. It looked like the fight was over.

With no more reason to stick around and risk being seen, he descended from the tree and headed back to Whitebridge to find the rest of his companions. He left his arrows behind, since he couldn’t easily retrieve them while the Brerratic knights were still there, but he made a mental note to come back after nightfall and pick them up if they hadn’t already been collected by the nobles by then. After the first battle had gone so well, he was certain the knights would push to retake Grimsby, so he wanted to be armed and ready with as many arrows as he could fit in his quiver.

When he got back to the village, he took a moment to look over around. A pleased smile crossed his lips as his gaze fell on the villagers. They were already celebrating their kingdom’s victory and the fact that they hadn’t needed to fight this time around. It looked like the evacuees had already returned as well. As he walked down the main road, he passed by couples kissing passionately and families crying and embracing in relief. It was a much happier sight to come back to compared to the ones he had faced after the last few battles, where the villagers had been collecting the bodies of their dead and widows had wailed for their lost loved ones.

After a while of unhurried searching, he found the other thieves sitting with Hazel beneath a tree in the evening shade. The herbalist was wrapping Simon’s forearm with bandages, but otherwise, they all looked like they had remained unharmed. He stepped over to sit between Hazel and Alistair and grinned, “Looks like it’s been a good day, huh?”

“I’ll say,” Alistair nodded. “After the knights from our kingdom did so badly in the last few battles, I wasn’t expecting them to actually keep the Younisians on their side of the border. I only killed two of them this time.”

“Three here,” Simon chimed in, sitting up a little straighter and casting Hazel a glance as if to make sure she was listening.

The herbalist narrowed her eyes slightly as she inspected her work on his wound and then gave a curt nod, “Alright, Simon. You’re good to go.” She patted his arm lightly and looked up at him with a smile. “As long as you don’t shift the bandages, you’ll heal just fine.”

“Thank you,” Simon said in a tone that was more respectful than anything Crow had ever heard come out of his mouth before.

The thief snorted softly, finding his companion’s change in behavior amusing. “As much as I’d love to stay and celebrate with the villagers here, we should probably go back and pack up our camp,” he said, glancing between the four of them. “Since Brerra won today, the knights are going to keep pushing north and attack again at Grimsby. If we want to stay ahead of them, we’ll need to leave tonight.”

“If they keep doing this well, they should have those Younisian soldiers out of there in no time,” Alistair said confidently, leaning back on the palms of his hands.

“I hope so,” Crow nodded. “It would be nice to come back to all of this twice.” He looked up to watch as a small family walked by, chatting and laughing jovially amongst each other, and his gaze softened slightly. “I’m glad the people of Whitebridge didn’t have to bury anyone else today.”

“Me too,” Simon murmured in agreement, following the same family with his eyes. “Let’s just pray the same will go for Grimsby.”

“Hear, hear,” Rikki finally spoke up, though she continued to avoid Crow’s gaze.

They all sat for a while longer, enjoying the scene of the celebrating villagers, until Crow finally stood up again. “It’s almost sunset,” he noted, twisting at the waist as he stretched his lower back. “Let’s go tear down the camp.” The other thieves murmured their agreement and got up as well. Once they were all ready, he took the lead to go back to the eastern forest, where they had left the rest of their supplies. While the battle that day had gone well, he didn’t want to let himself grow complacent. There was still one more fight left to prepare for, and he was going to be ready when it came.

[BuzzingBee]

The dust seemed to settle on the battlefield and Penelope sheathed her sword. Moving her gaze out, she was quick to notice that Alan wasn't the only loss they had suffered. Though Brerra had managed to secure a strong win over Younis, they hadn't gone without their own losses. She let out a soft sigh as she looked out over the fallen knights of both sides left behind the ruins of battle. No longer near or in a village, the bodies seemed far more laid out in the field, sending a small chill down her spine.

Her gaze shifted over to her uncle, watching as the baron rode back towards the border. He held his head high and kept his gaze focused ahead despite bleeding from a wound on his leg. No wonder they want to win so badly.. She thought to herself, finding herself understanding her uncle and the other cold-hearted knights just a little better. The aftermath of a battle was always gruesome, especially when villages got stuck in between, but seeing only her fallen comrades mixed in with a number of enemy knights made her a little more aware of the losses the knights went through during the war as well.

She let out a shaky sigh and turned to look back over at Gavin. "Come on. We should go regroup with everyone... We'll have a battle in Grimsby tomorrow." she told him in a quiet voice. With a look of sympathy, she paused before adding, "He'll be buried properly just like the others. There's no time to properly mourn right now though."

"Penelope, Gavin, what's going on-" Mia rode up besides them only for her words to fall short as her gaze fell on Alan. The baroness frowned lightly and lowered her head for a moment. She let a few moments of silence pass before lifting her head to look at the two. "Someone will have to tell Bran about this once we return to camp."

"I will." Gavin mumbled.

Mia gave him a nod of approval before letting out a soft sigh. "To lose a child at any age is not something I wish on any parent." the baroness muttered, nearly to herself. Her gaze focused back ahead and she signaled for them to follow her. "Now isn't the time to focus on death. Let's regroup and rest before we make our way to Grimsby tomorrow. The living still have one more battle to face before we can rest for a little while."

Penelope nodded her head in agreement with Mia before looking over at Gavin. The male knight seemed reluctant to move. Even though the bodies would be tended to by those assigned, it was clear to her that he didn't just want to leave Alan. She felt a stab of sympathy for him and his loss. Had she lost someone, she knew she wouldn't leave their side easily either. The female knight placed her hand on his back, gently ushering him away from his friend.

---

The knights regrouped and made their way to where the wagons of supplies were located. Jane and a couple other physicians went to work bandaging up the wounded. A few knights that were uninjured went to work with serving out food and water to the others. As they all settled in for the night, a few begun to make small campfires to warm themselves as they filled their bellies and prepared to get rest before they had to march off to the next battle.

Penelope, Olivia, Gavin and Layth all sat quietly around the same fire. Her brother had joined with the intent to brag about the supplies remaining safe under his care however, he read the atmosphere and for once shut his mouth as he sat down on the other side of Penelope. She was surprised by Layth's suddenly quiet attitude as he rested with them. His sympathy for Gavin's loss seemed enough to keep him quiet but she wondered what had made him decide to stay with them. She glanced at her brother. He had his arms crossed and his gaze focused on the fire that burned in front of them. Though curious, she didn't mind his presence this time and instead found a bit of comfort in being surrounded by a handful of people she cared for. Gavin's loss made her grateful that they were all still safe.

Hopefully Crow is safe too.. She thought, glancing up at the night sky. She hadn't seen the thief in battle, likely because they hadn't gotten close to the village, and she hoped that meant he had either found a way to remain safe during the fight or had stayed out of it completely.

"Aww man I can't believe we have to go straight to Grimsby tomorrow." Olivia groaned, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group. "Couldn't the barons have at least given us a little more time in between these two battles?"

"And let Younis recover from this one?" Layth snorted. "We can't properly win anything unless we drive them out of our kingdom first."

"I gueessss." Olivia drawled.

"We should probably be getting to sleep soon. The barons mentioned something about wanting to leave as soon as the sun rose, right?" Penelope casted a glance at Layth.

"Yeah." Layth grumbled. His gaze flickered over to Gavin and he snorted. "Is that all you're going to eat?"

Penelope shifted a bit and looked over at Gavin. The male knight had been silent since they had left the battlefield. Looking over now, she noticed that he had only taken a couple bites from his bread and left the rest of his serving of food untouched. Gavin nodded his head, not even bothering to look over at Layth. "I'm full. You can have the rest if you want."

"I'm not a pig you can just shover your leftovers to." Layth growled. He paused before grumbling, "Finish your damn food."

"It might be good to eat a little more, Gavin." Penelope added tentatively, shooting her brother a stern look. "With another battle tomorrow, you'll need your energy."

Layth shot a glare at penelope in return and looked back over at Gavin. When the male knight didn't say anything, he narrowed his eyes. "While I hate agreeing with her, she's right." he said bitterly. "You'll wear yourself thin and get killed," As Gavin looked over at him, Layth glanced down at Penelope. "or get someone else killed trying to protect you."

Penelope turned her head to glare at her brother. "Couldn't have phrased that a little less bluntly?" She hissed quietly, not catching his glance at her.

Layth held her glare. "No." He responded coldly. "I tried to help. I'm not here to babysit. If he wants to live he'll eat, if he wants to starve himself and fall into the first sword that gets to him then so be it." He shook his head and got up to his feet. "Whatever. Just don't get in my way." He turned and stalked off.

Penelope rolled her eyes as she watched her brother leave. She turned back and noticed Olivia smirking. "What?" She asked confused.

"Nothing... I've just never seen Layth try to actually help before.. It was interesting." Olivia snickered.

"It was definitely different." Mumbled Gavin. Penelope blinked in surprise as she caught a hint of amusement in Gavin's low voice. She smiled a little and nodded her head in agreement.

Olivia and Penelope continued chatting while Gavin sat quietly like before, not changing much despite a brief moment of amusement with Layth's actions. He did, however, finish his food, which put Penelope at ease. As the night wore on, the knights eventually laid down for the night. Penelope closed her eyes as she laid down on the forest floor with the rest of her battalion. Feeling tired from the battle, it didn't take her long to fall asleep, drifting off into a deep slumber despite all that had occurred.

[Rogue Sloth]

Having packed up many camps over the past year, the thieves made quick work of gathering all of their supplies and readying themselves to move on to Grimsby. Still missing the arrows that he had used during the battle, Crow remembered to make a detour back to the battlefield to collect any that he could find. Alistair joined him, since it seemed like all of his companions had created an unspoken rule that their ill leader would never go anywhere alone. Normally, he might have been annoyed by this, but it wasn’t really that big of a change since they tended to go out in pairs anyway, so he dealt with it without complaint.

When the two thieves reached the clearing, they paused at the edge of the tree line to check if the knights were still there. Fortunately, it looked like they had all left aside from a few who were collecting the bodies of the fallen Brerratic soldiers. Exchanging a brief glance with Alistair, Crow nodded and led the way as they began to scour the bodies in search of arrows. With the thick cover of darkness, the knights didn’t spare them even a passing glance, and they managed to recover most of the arrows he had lost during the fight relatively quickly.

Once they had finished, Crow walked back with Alistair to meet up with the others on the northern edge of Whitebridge, and the group began to make their way to Grimsby. Along the way, Hazel fell back to walk at his side. “How did you do during the battle?” she asked, casting him a curious glance. “Did you have any trouble?”

“Not at all,” he shook his head. “I just camped out in a tree and loosed arrows on any knights that got too close to the border.” He smirked at her proudly. “See? I told you I would be alright.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she rolled her eyes. “Don’t get too cocky. This battle went much more smoothly than most, from what your friends have told me. You still need to be careful.”

“I know,” he fixed his gaze straight ahead as they walked. “But I’ll be fine as long as I don’t get caught up in the heat of the fight. That’s why I brought this in the first place.” He tipped his head towards the bow that hung across his shoulder. “As long as I keep using distance to my advantage, no one can touch me.”

“You got lucky once,” Hazel said sternly. “Don’t forget that someone could still figure out where you’re attacking from and come after you. All it takes is one lucky knight, and you’ll be trapped like a rat.”

“I’d forgotten how optimistic you are,” Crow muttered with dry sarcasm.

“I’m just being realistic,” she shrugged.

“I know,” he sighed. “And you’re right. But that’s why I’m being careful.” He turned back to her with a soft smile. “There’s a reason the knights haven’t been able to catch me since my mistake three years ago, love. I know how to keep a low profile.” He nudged her with his shoulder as they walked. “Trust me; I’ll be alright.”

Hazel held his gaze for a moment before looking away and shaking her head, “Gods, I hate that silver tongue of yours. You could tell me you’re going to jump off a cliff and somehow make me believe it’s a good idea.”

Crow laughed. “Who knows? It could be fun,” he winked at her teasingly.

“Shut up,” she shoved him with a snort. “But fine. You’ve convinced me. I’ll stop pestering you about it.”

“Thanks,” he nodded appreciatively.

“Mm,” the herbalist grunted. “Just don’t make me regret it.”

“I won’t.”

--

The group arrived in Grimsby just before sunrise. When they finally reached the ridge that overlooked the village, Crow had already begun to sway tiredly on his feet. It had been a while since the last time he had been out so late, and the strain of keeping himself from falling asleep on the walk there had worn him down greatly. Still determined to be useful to his companions, he moved to help them as they started setting up camp, but Hazel stepped in his path before he had a chance to do anything.

“Ah, ah,” she tutted in a manner resembling the way a mother might correct a rebellious child. She dug in her bag and held out a new jar of medicine. “Take this and go straight to sleep. If you want to fight in the next battle, you’re going to need to get some rest first.”

Crow opened his mouth to protest, but then thought better of it and simply nodded in reluctant compliance. He wanted to help, but he knew she was right. He couldn’t risk triggering his illness by shortchanging himself on sleep right before a major fight. Besides that, he was exhausted. He wasn’t about to argue with her about going to bed when his aching body was begging him to lay down.

Taking the jar from her hand, he finished off the draught inside and then passed it back to her. Too tired to even utter a word of goodnight, he just yawned as he made his way over to a flat area and dropped his bags on the ground. He unfurled his bedroll and laid down heavily, barely drawing his blanket over himself before he slipped out of consciousness and fell asleep, finally giving in to the weariness that had been trying to overtake him all night.

[BuzzingBee]

As the sun rose, so did the knights. The morning guards were quick to go around and stirr everyone from their slumber. Penelope let out a quiet groan as she felt someone prod her shoulder. The female knight was still tired from the day before and was far from eager about another battle. "Come on Penelope. We have to get moving." Tomas sighed as he prodded her again. She reluctantly opened her eyes and sat up, giving a small nod as she ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm up.. I'm up." she mumbled drowsily. Standing up, she looked around at the battalion as her comrades readied for the second battle. A few knights were having a quick breakfast before they had to leave while others were already falling in formation behind Edward who was conversing with his lieutenant. Tomas headed off to wake up others and Penelope shifted her gaze over to Gavin, who was already up and waiting for the knights to take off.

She walked up to him and offered a faint smile. "How are you doing?" She asked softly.

"I'm fine." he replied with a shrug. Gavin glanced down at at the ground and shuffled his feet. "I just want to get back to camp at this point."

"One more win and we'll get there." She assured him with a firm nod. Penelope paused before adding, "I'm really sorry about Alan, Gavin.. I know he was a good friend to you."

Gavin stiffened and looked off to the side before giving a small nod. The female knight gave him a small look of pity before turning her head to look over at Mia as she spotted the baroness mounting her horse. It appeared to be time to leave as she rode her way to the front of the battalion, gathering the attention of the others. "Time to go." Penelope mumbled.

---

It was midday by the time the battalion reached Grimsby. Penelope remained near Gavin, only giving him a little bit of space every now and then as she occasionally chatted with Olivia who walked nearby. Mia didn't seem to mind her absence at the front, in fact, Penelope guessed that the baroness had partly expected it. With Gavin still grieving, Penelope wanted to keep an eye on him during this next fight, worried what might become of the male knight if she didn't. He would be able to get over his grief eventually but it was much too soon to expect him to be over it by now.

Mia and her forces approached the southern part of the town while Edward took the rest of the battalion to swing out and attack from the east of the village. The plan was to flush out the Younisians by pinching their forces between the two Brerratic ones to drive them back towards the border. Penelope shifted nervously as she awaited the battle's beginning. This time the fight would be a little more direct on the village, which meant that if Crow was fighting, he would not have as an easy a time keeping out of it as the last battle.

Her gaze scanned over what she could see of the village, clenching the hilt of her sword anxiously. She prayed that the thief would stay out of the battle's path and drew her sword at Mia's signal. It was time for the second battle.