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

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow rolled his eyes at Penelope’s joking words. Despite what she claimed, the smile on her face when she had first opened her eyes had given away how happy she really was to see him. He shifted a little on the edge of the mattress as she moved to sit up, cringing slightly at the creak her bed made in response to the sudden motion. His eyes flickered to her father’s bed, worried that the older knight had been disturbed by the sound. Fortunately, all remained quiet, and he let out his breath in a sigh of relief.

Turning back to Penelope, he smiled as she wrapped her arms around him and leaned in to meet her lips as she kissed him. After being forced to separate from her all day, he found her lips sweet and her touch relaxing. If John hadn’t been laying a mere two arms-length away from them, he would have easily lost himself in her embrace, but of course, he knew he had to stay alert, so he didn’t let go that completely. Instead, he simply enjoyed what he could get, renewing his patience at the thought of finding some time alone with her when they got to the castle. After all, it would be much harder for her father to get between them when they had a whole palace to sneak around behind his back.

When she eventually pulled back again, Crow laughed softly. “I knew it,” he teased, holding her close and smiling as she kissed him on the nose. As her eyes wandered to her father’s sleeping form, his smile faded, and he followed her gaze. “That’s an understatement,” he exhaled, leaning his head against hers. With John constantly breathing down their necks, he had a feeling these late-night meetings were the best they were going to get until they reached the inner kingdom.

Things might get even worse after we arrive, he thought worriedly, holding her a little more tightly against himself. With John’s threat of finding her a new husband, they were probably going to have even more obstacles to face in the coming days. If they couldn’t find a way out of it, he was going to lose her, and she was going to be wedded to a man who would likely care very little about her.

Feeling a bust of protectiveness for the knight, Crow pressed another kiss to her lips. He lingered for a moment before pulling back again and lowering his gaze. “I-I think that if we can’t stop your father from arranging another marriage for you, we should run away together,” he murmured, shifting nervously as he brought up the suggestion. “I know you don’t want to leave until this war is over, but I don’t want to risk losing you to someone else.” He looked up again to meet her green eyes with a troubled look. “If… If we can’t think of any other way out of this mess… will you come with me to the outer villages?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope closed her eyes for a moment as he leaned his head against hers. She felt him hold her a little tighter and she trailed her hand over his back. With everything there was for them to worry about, she took at least a little bit of comfort in his touch. She met his halfway as he kissed her again, relaxing against his lips. The knight tried to keep a bit of her guard up though. With her father so close by, she couldn't risk getting completely distracted by the thief like usual.

As he pulled back and voiced his suggestion, Penelope shifted with uncertainty. There was a very high possibility that they wouldn't be able to get out of this mess. Her father refused to listen to her and was doing everything in his power to keep them apart. It would take a miracle for him to accept Crow or at the very least, stop trying to get between them. Though she was reluctant to leave the war early, she also didn't want to be forced to part from Crow and marry some other man.

"I will." she said with a decisive nod. Penelope reached to rest a hand on his cheek as looked at him affectionately. "I told you, I won't give you up easily. If it means leaving a bit sooner than planned, then that's what I'll do." she assured him before leaning in to press another kiss to his lips. This time she kissed him with a bit more passion, as if hoping that if her words didn't reassure him enough that her actions would. As she pulled back, she rested her head against his and fell silent for a moment.

"We'll have to be extra careful though..." she mumbled with a frown. "If my father catches so much as a whiff of me planning to run off with you, I don't want to know what he'll do.." She shuddered at the thought of John reacting to such news. It made her press closer to the thief out of subconscious protectiveness.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow lightly bit his lip as he felt Penelope shift against him, momentarily worried that she would deny his suggestion to leave the battlefront early. He was well aware of how determined she was to see the war through to the end, so he knew it was asking a lot to request that she run away with him before it was over. Even though he knew there was still plenty for her to do with him from the sidelines, she had far more influence as a lieutenant than she would as a peasant. It couldn’t be easy for her to give that power up.

However, his fears were quickly laid to rest when she said that she would leave with him if they had to. Letting out his breath in relief, the thief leaned his cheek into her hand and turned his head slightly to kiss her palm as she explained that she wasn’t going to let him go. Her words made his heart flutter with affection. Though it wasn’t the most ideal situation, he was glad that she was willing to do it if she had to. He just hoped she wouldn’t be too upset if they did end up running away together to escape her arranged marriage.

As Penelope kissed him again, Crow met her lips with equal passion, wrapping his arms tightly around her and running his hands over her back. The fervor of the moment was nearly enough for him to forget about John, so it was a good thing that Penelope didn’t linger for too long. When she pulled back again, he leaned his head against hers, breathing a little heavier as he caught his breath.

At her following words, he nodded in agreement. “I’m sure we’ll be alright,” he assured her, reaching up to trail his fingers through her long hair in a comforting gesture. “As long as we don’t talk about it unless we’re certain we’re alone, he’ll never find out.” Turning his head slightly, he pressed a long kiss to her cheek and then met her gaze with a soft smile. “I love you, Penelope. We’ll make it out of this mess one way or another. I promise you that.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a small nod of agreement as Crow reassured her that they would be alright. There was usually nothing but silence during their traveling anyways and as long as John kept thinking her had enough power to keep them apart, he likely wouldn't go digging for such information. The only difficulty would be finding the time to plan out their escape a bit better, especially with her father watching them like a hawk. She just hoped meeting at night like this would be enough for them until things were figured out.

"I love you too." she murmured returning his smile with a small smirk. "And I'm going to hold you to that promise." She gave him a playful wink. Penelope leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before pulling back from him slightly. Her gaze drifted over to her father and she let out a small sigh. The knight wished they'd have more time together or at least, actual alone time without having to worry about John, who was sleeping nearby. Even if they could meet at night like this, it was incredibly risky with the older knight right there. If they made too much noise he'd easily wake up.

"You should go back to your bed. We have another long walk tomorrow and I'm worried our talking might eventually wake him up." Penelope suggested. Though she was reluctant, the knight slowly let go of him and gave him a halfhearted smile. "Hopefully we can at least keeping meeting at night like this though...especially since the rest of this trip is going to be rather unbearable with how my father's acting."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow chuckled softly as Penelope said she would hold him to his promise. Despite the difficulty of their situation, he wasn’t too worried about sneaking her out of the inner kingdom with him if or when the time came for them to escape. He’d gotten out of tighter spots than this before, and he could do it again. As long as she was willing to run away with him, they would be able to start up the life they had been dreaming about in the outer villages. It was only a matter of time now.

As she told him to go back to his own bed, he nodded wearily, letting out a tired yawn. Though he wanted to stay beside her all night if he could, he knew he needed to get some sleep while he still could. They had another long walk to the next village, and on top of that, his wound still had plenty of healing left to do. He needed to be in good condition to make it all the way there, so he wouldn’t need to make any extra stops along the way. Plus, she was right that the longer they stayed up talking, the longer they risked John waking up and catching them together. The last thing either of them needed was for her protective father to get any more involved than he already had.

“I hope so too,” he sighed, touching one more kiss to her cheek before he carefully rose from the edge of her mattress. Casting her a sleepy smile, the thief reached out to run his hand down the length of her arm and gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Goodnight, love. I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that, he turned and made his way silently back to his own bed, laying down and reattaching the chain to his wrist, so John wouldn’t know he had let himself loose to visit with her.

Settling down as comfortably as he could manage, Crow pulled his blanket up to his chin and closed his eyes, drifting off almost instantly into a light, yet peaceful slumber.

[BuzzingBee]

"Goodnight." she whispered as he moved to leave. Penelope waited until he was already back in his bed before laying down again. She didn't want the creaking of her bed to stir her father right before Crow was able to sneak off. Settling back into her bed, the knight closed her eyes again and managed to drift off into a more comfortable sleep than before.

---

"Time to get up."

The next morning woke up to a firm voice. She stretched and turned her head to look over her shoulder. Of course, it was her father standing over her. She gave a curt nod to him and slowly sat up. Letting out a yawn, she watched as he moved to go wake up Crow next, digging into his pocket to pull out the key for the chain. The knight bit back a smirk as she thought of Crow managing to sneak around her father's efforts to separate them the night before. With him able to pick the lock, the chain was ineffective and it gave her a bit of peace knowing that after the whirlwind that was the day prior.

Getting up to her feet, she stretched and collected her items from the ground. She slipped her armor back on and turned towards the other two. Her father moved rather immediately to stand closer to her, shooting a glare at Crow. She frowned slightly. It seemed his anger had yet to die down and she guessed that the trip to the next village would go rather similarly as the day before.

"Let's get moving." John said gruffly. "The sooner we get to the castle the better."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow was roused in the morning by the sound of a bed creaking. He groaned and stretched lazily on his own mattress, rolling onto his side with a broad yawn as he looked up to see where the sound had come from. His eyes fell on John, who was getting up to wake Penelope, and he tensed, reminded of the older man’s insistence to keep them apart. Suddenly in no mood to get out of bed, the thief closed his eyes again and pulled his blanket over his head, hoping the knights would let him sleep a little longer while they got ready for the day. But of course, that didn’t happen.

“Get up, thief,” came the sound of John’s impatient voice as he stepped over to Crow’s bedside.

“It’s early,” Crow complained, burying his head beneath his pillow to get away from the knight’s voice. “Besides, we don’t have as far to walk today as we did yesterday. I can sleep a little longer.”

“That doesn’t matter,” John growled. “We need to get moving, so I’ll only say it once more. Get up.”

“Fine,” Crow exhaled exaggeratedly as he finally pulled the blanket down from his head and sat up, blinking tiredly from his lingering weariness. Though he hadn’t stayed up very late with Penelope the night before, he supposed the shortchange of sleep was still taking its toll. He just hoped he could shake off the rest of his exhaustion before they headed out again.

Once John had unlocked the chain from his wrist, the thief climbed down from his bed to put his boots back on and shoulder his bag. Fortunately, even though he was still a bit tired, it seemed like the rest had done his body some good, because his wound didn’t pain him nearly as much as it had the previous day. If it kept up at this rate, he had high hopes that it would be fully healed within the next two or three weeks.

Crow stepped over to join the other two by the door when he finished getting ready, raising his arms over his head in one more long stretch. As he approached, John edged a bit closer to Penelope and eyed him with contempt. “Undisciplined criminal…” he muttered under his breath before he turned towards the door, addressing the group as a whole, “Let’s get moving. The sooner we get to the castle, the better.”

The knight took the lead as they exited the room, making sure that Penelope stayed close to his side while Crow trailed along behind, shoving his hands in his pockets as he glared annoyedly at John’s back. He’d caught the older man’s comment about his ‘discipline’ and had found it quite unnecessary. Just because he didn’t have the rigid routine of a knight didn’t mean he couldn’t be responsible in his own ways. After all, he’d been the sole leader of a band of thieves for a year. That by itself spoke volumes about his discipline.

It doesn’t matter anyway, he thought, averting his gaze to look over the village as they left the inn. He may be Penelope’s father, but he’s no different than any of the other nobles in this kingdom. I don’t need his approval. Feeling a bit more self-assured, he picked up his pace slightly to keep up with the brisk speed that John had set for the group, hoping this day of walking would go by faster than the last.

[BuzzingBee]

The rest of the day went by just as well as Penelope expected. Her father kept close to her at all times and made sure the two remained separated. Of course, she made no attempt to test him. He had already proven he was willing to hurt Crow despite the king's mission and was clearly willing to strip her of her title as a knight as well. While it soon might not matter due to her decision to run off with Crow, if there was even a chance of them getting out of this mess without running off, she didn't want to risk losing the job she cared about.

Occasionally she tried to speak to her father but was often met with short responses that made it clear he didn't want to discuss anything with her at the moment. She didn't dare bring up her mother anymore, even though part of her desired to. The way he had reacted to her bringing her up the day prior was a bit confusing as well as hurtful to the knight who had practically no knowledge about her. Eventually the knight just gave up on making any conversation with him and fell silent as they made their way towards Sarton

By the time they reached the village, they had made rather good time. The sun was just beginning to set and John even allowed for another short break to have a small bite of supper before leading them to the nearest inn as it got later. Though he was still in a foul mood, she could tell her father was rather pleased with how quickly they were moving. She imagined he was eager to get to the inner kingdom to follow through with his words about marrying her off. It was still unsettling but she rested a little easier knowing that she'd be able to get away with Crow before he had the chance to arrange another marriage.

John went ahead and got a room at the inn. He lead the way inside and glanced between the other two. "Same as the night before." he ordered. "Penelope over there, and you there." he said gesturing to the two beds furthest apart. He wasted no time in pulling out the chain from the previous night again, clearly intent on restricting Crow again.

[Rogue Sloth]

For Crow, the rest of the trip to Sarton was painfully dull. He itched to get close to Penelope, if only to have someone to talk to while they walked, but with John standing between them like a guard dog, there was no way for him to come anywhere near her without getting snapped at. So, with nothing else to do, he spent to entirety of the journey keeping to himself and walking a few paces behind the others, so the older knight wouldn’t have any reason to get angry with him again. It was boring, but at least it was peaceful aside from the lingering tension in the air, so the thief supposed it was the best they were going to get until they reached the castle.

When they eventually came to the village, the same routine was repeated from the day before. After a quick supper, John took Penelope and Crow to the local inn, where he purchased a room while the thief waited outside. After that, they all headed inside to settle down for the night, and Penelope’s father ordered them to their separate beds. Even though he knew he was just going to sneak over to visit with her while the older knight slept, the thief decided to protest a little, just to make sure John didn’t get suspicious.

“This is ridiculous,” he rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest in an obstinate gesture as he glared at the other man. “Why am I the only one who has to wear a chain to bed?”

“Because you’re the scoundrel who dared to lay a hand on my daughter,” John growled. “If you think you deserve better, then stay away from women who are above you, thief.”

Crow bit his tongue, fighting the urge to make a sultry comment about being fine with letting Penelope be beneath him if she wanted. He might have pushed the boundaries if it had been any other knight guarding them, but this was her father. He had avoided getting his hands cut off once before, and he preferred to keep from putting himself in that position again. So, instead of making the lurid joke, he took a breath and muttered a simple: “Fine.”

“Good,” John said, seeming pleased that the thief was being compliant. He followed him over to the bed and restrained him by the wrist once again before settling down in the middle of the room.

Crow sighed and pulled his blanket over himself, keeping up his charade of being disappointed until the knight put out the lantern and laid down to sleep. His heart beat excitedly in his chest as he watched John in the darkness, waiting for the older man’s breathing to grow even and indicate that he had fallen asleep, so he could get up to visit with Penelope.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope stepped over to the bed her father directed her to and set down her bag. She glanced over her shoulder at the two men as Crow gave John a bit of resistance before finally allowing him to put on the chain. The female knight made no comment on it, merely shooting her father a disapproving look before turning away as she took off her armor for the night. She figured that Crow had been resisting John in order to keep him unaware that his method of chaining the thief up hadn't worked so she made sure to go along with it.

Eager for her father to fall asleep, she laid down on the bed and pulled the blanket over herself. Though she was a bit tired from the trip to the village, her excitement to steal some time with Crow kept her fully awake. Now it was just a waiting game. She shifted a bit on the bed so she could look subtly towards her father, hoping that it wouldn't take long for him to fall asleep. Luckily, because he was confident enough in his tactic of chaining up Crow, it didn't.

The older knight's breathing had grown even and he seemed to have drifted off into a deep enough slumber. Penelope grinned to herself and carefully moved to sit up. She kept her gaze on him, watching for any sign of movement from him. He remained asleep though and she managed to move to the edge of her bed. Now up, she turned her head towards Crow and shot him an eager smile. The knight cautiously got up to her feet and moved towards the thief, creeping quietly across the room. It was a good thing she was getting rather used to sneaking around as she only made a small bit of noise with the motion.

"Gods, I'm glad he's able to pass out quick." she whispered to him as she reached him. "Waiting to be able to even just speak with you—let alone be at touch you—all day while you're right in front of me is really starting to test my patience."

[Rogue Sloth]

As soon as Crow saw John’s breathing grow slow and even, a devious smile crossed his lips, and he reached to retrieve his pick lock key from his boot. He made quick work of the chain on his wrist and was already sitting up by the time Penelope reached him from the other side of the room. When she got to his bed, he looked up at her in the darkness, amused that she had risked coming to him this time, but also impressed by how quietly she had walked across the wooden floor to do so. It looked like she was just getting better and better at sneaking around, and he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pride over it.

“Me too,” he whispered when she commented on how quickly her father had fallen asleep. Of course, it didn’t matter too much, since they would have been able to visit with each other even if the older knight had fallen asleep later, but it was certainly nice to have the extra time. He slid carefully on his mattress to let his legs hang over the edge of the bed, wanting to be closer to her as they talked.

At her next words, he shook his head in agreement. “You’re telling me,” he sighed, wrapping his arms around her hips to pull her close to him. “I can’t wait until we can be together without anyone trying to stand in our way.” He leaned his head against her chest and looked up at her with an affectionate smile. “On the bright side, it might not be much longer until that day.” If Penelope was forced to run away with him to avoid having her marriage arranged by her father, they would finally be able to have what they wanted. Of course, it wasn’t ideal for her to leave her battalion before the war was over, but he couldn’t deny that he was excited to be with her they way they dreamed, despite the consequences.

Suddenly wanting to be a little closer to her, Crow silently stood up from his bed and leaned in to press a passionate kiss to her lips. He lingered for a while before he shifted to touch a few more tender kisses along her jaw and neck. “I have an idea,” he murmured in her ear, giving the lobe a soft bite. “Why don’t we take this somewhere a little more… private?” Trailing his lips along her skin, he brought one hand up to the side of her neck and smirked mischievously. While he’d been intending to wait until they reached the castle, they had a perfect opportunity to slip away right now. John seemed to be sleeping soundly, so as long as they returned before the morning, he would never know they were gone.

“I know the perfect place we can go too,” he went on, pulling back just enough to meet her gaze. “So, what do you say, love? Want to take advantage of this opportunity the gods have blessed us with tonight?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smiled down at him as he pulled her closer. The knight gently pushed back his hair and gave a small nod of agreement as he mentioned they likely wouldn't have much longer until they'd be able to be together without anyone in their way. Though she was reluctant to leave her battalion before the end of the war, she was at least a bit excited by the thought of being able to be with Crow. However, amongst the excitement, there was also some nervousness. Leaving her life behind so abruptly did make the knight a bit uneasy. It'd be difficult, especially since she likely wouldn't have time to prepare for it like she had originally thought she would.

As Crow stood up and kissed her, she relaxed and met his lips with equal passion. His touch eased her nerves, reminding her of the whole reason she was willing to give up her life as a noble. If it meant she could be with him for the rest of her life, it'd be worth it. The knight closed her eyes blissfully as moved away from her lips and pressed a few kisses along her jaw and neck. She wrapped her arms around him, enjoying their closeness.

When he suggested slipping away to go somewhere more private, she hesitated and glanced over towards her father. Whether they stayed or left, there was a chance of him waking up and finding them together. She supposed it'd be a bit riskier sneaking off but feeling his lips on her skin was rather persuading. As she heard her father let out a small snore, she decided him might just be in a deep enough sleep for them to sneak away. Why not make the most of the time they had? Especially since her father would be between them during the day.

"Let's go." she mumbled with an eager smile at him. She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "As long as you can get us in and out without waking him up, I don't see why we shouldn't."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow grinned excitedly as Penelope kissed him on the cheek and agreed to come with him on another late-night adventure. “Of course I can,” he chuckled softly when she challenged him to get them both there and back without her father noticing. “You just watch, love. We’ll be back before he even realizes we left.” Leaning in again, he pressed one more quick kiss to her lips and slid his hand down to lace his fingers with hers, giving her a gentle tug towards the door.

He took the lead as they exited the room, moving quietly so the sound of his footsteps wouldn’t disturb her sleeping father. By the sound of the older man’s snoring, he doubted anything they did right now would wake him, but he still didn’t want to risk ruining their one opportunity to get away together before they reached the castle, so he proceeded with caution regardless. Fortunately, their efforts paid off, because the knight didn’t even roll over on his bed as they slipped through the door.

For an added measure of precaution, Crow didn’t speak to Penelope until they had left the boundaries of the inn and were walking down the main road of the village. His eyes swept over the area with interest as they passed between the buildings. It had been quite some time since he had come this far into the center of the kingdom. It was strange to see a village so untouched by the war. Perhaps there had been a battle or two that had reached Sarton’s borders, but it was nowhere near as damaged as the outer villages were. He wasn’t sure what to think about that. Geographically, it made sense that this place wouldn’t see as many battles, but it still bothered him to know that the wealthier parts of Brerra were flourishing while the peasants were barely surviving in these uncertain times.

Eager to put the discouraging thought out of his mind, Crow turned to Penelope with a smile. “Do you remember the last time we were here together?” he mused. “It’s strange to think how distant we were back then.” The last time they had been through Sarton, it had been the very first night of their journey to Younis. He remembered how he had been trying to earn her trust for the purpose of using her for his own escape. The memory made him shake his head in amusement. If he had gotten away with his plan back then, he would have missed out on falling in love with the most amazing woman he’d ever met.

I’m glad I couldn’t run away, he thought, glancing at the knight with an affectionate look.

“Speaking of the past,” he went on, casting her a wry smirk. “Have you figured out where I was going to take us yet?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope followed Crow as he lead the way out of the room. She tried to move as quietly as she could and luckily that seemed to be enough as they were able to slip out of the room. The knight smiled to herself and remained quiet as they exited the inn. Once they were outside, she swept her gaze over the village with a hint of caution. Though they were away from her father, they still had to be cautious about running into any of the local guards. The last thing they needed was either of them being recognized and word of them together getting around.

Luckily the area seemed clear and quiet so she relaxed a little. As Crow turned to her, she smirked at his words. "Of course I remember." she mused, thinking back on their first visit to Sarton two years ago. "Feeling a little nostalgic huh?" Penelope looked up at him affectionately and let out a peaceful sigh. "It is strange to think about how much has changed since then... I wasn't even calling you by your name until we visited this place."

It brought a hint of amusement to her eyes now as she thought about how much her view of him had changed since then. It had been the first time in this village that she had stopped calling him 'thief' and finally addressed him as Crow. She could even recall the exact spot they had went to before.. As he went on to ask her if she had figured out where he was taking them, she smiled up at him. "I have. The pond from before." she gave his hand a soft squeeze and shifted to walk closer to him.

Though it had been two years ago, the route was still vaguely familiar to her and she could still easily recall what the pond had looked like. Reflecting back on it, she remembered that she had snuck out of the room with Crow since she couldn't sleep. "Sneaking out late at night to get away from strict older knights has been our thing before we were even a thing." she said with a soft laugh. The knight looked up at him with a small smirk. "I just hope we don't get attacked by some rebel nobles this time."

[Rogue Sloth]

“Maybe a little,” Crow shrugged, offering Penelope a sheepish smile when she accused him of being nostalgic. As she went on to talk about how this village was where she’d first called him by his name instead of ‘thief,’ he nodded, remembering how surprised he had been at the time to hear a noble call him by anything other than his occupancy or surname. In hindsight, he supposed that had been one of the first moments when he’d realized there was something different about her.

When Penelope guessed that he had been planning to take her to the pond where they had gone the first time they’d visited this village, Crow let out a low whistle. “Looks like you’re onto me,” he chuckled, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I can’t slip anything past you, huh?” Despite his joking, he knew it hadn’t been that hard for her to figure out his plan. The pond by Sarton was a bit of a significant piece of their history together, since so much had changed between them back then. It was a natural place to visit while they were passing through the area yet again.

His eyes wandered back to the road ahead as they walked, excited to come back to the pond with her again after two years. At her joking comment, he laughed. “I guess so,” he mused, smirking at her amusedly. “It’s one of the things we had in common even then, isn’t it?” He gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. “Even if we got attacked again, we’re much better prepared than we used to be. I’ve seen you fight lately, and those rebels don’t stand a chance.”

Crow glanced off to the side of the road as he caught sight of a familiar sign. Just like last time, he couldn’t read what it said, but he remembered that the arrow pointed in the direction they wanted. Grinning excitedly, he gave Penelope’s hand a tug, “This way, love. We’re almost there.” He led them off the main street and into the surrounding woods, weaving between the thick trees until the water came into view up ahead.

When they reached the edge, he came to a stop, moving to stand behind Penelope and wrap his arms around her middle as he took a moment to gaze over the glassy surface. The pond was just as breathtaking as he remembered. The water reflected the stars above, and a string of ancient relics surrounded its outskirts. He sighed and rested his head against Penelope’s, pressing a tender kiss to her neck. He’d never thought he would come back to this place, let alone come back with the knight who was now his lover. It was almost surreal.

Feeling a strong wave of affection for Penelope, Crow trailed kisses up to her jawline and then brushed his lips against her cheek to coax her to turn her head and meet him in a passionate kiss. “I love you so much,” he breathed when he pulled back again, wrapping her tightly in a warm embrace. In the next moment, he took on a more mischievous look and trailed his hands down her sides to hold her by the waist. “So… want to find out what it’s like to desecrate holy soil?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave an amused look at his words and nodded her head in agreement with his words. She followed after him as they neared the pond, feeling a bit of excitement build up in her. She hadn't seen the pond ever since their trip there two years ago. It made her curious to see if it was anything like she had remembered it to be. It wasn't long before the water came into view and her wonder was quickly put to rest.

The stars reflected brightly in the water—perhaps even more so than she remembered—making the surface look more like a mirror than a pond. The knight smiled softly as she felt Crow wrap his arms around her. She watched the stars twinkle faintly in the water as Crow rested his head against hers. Visiting this place made her think of how far they had come since their first meeting and how much they had been through to get there. Her heart swelled and she turned to meet him with equal passion as he kissed her.

As he pulled back, the knight smiled endearingly at him. "I love you too, Collin.." she murmured softly. She shifted to turn to face him, wrapping her arms around him as she did so. At his next suggestion, she gave a soft giggle. "I don't think we've ever had the gods' favor so I don't see the harm in it." she mused with a coy smirk. She leaned in and pressed another kiss to his lips before pulling back.

Her gaze drifted towards the spot on his abdomen where he had had been run through with the sword. While she craved to be intimate with him, she also didn't want his injury acting up. She knew it had healed quite a bit but it still wasn't fully healed. Even if she was a bit eager to be with him again after nearly a month, his health was far more important. The knight hesitated for a brief moment and met his gaze with a small hint of concern. "Do you think your wound has healed enough for that though?"

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow shrugged when Penelope said they didn’t have the gods’ favor and leaned in to meet her lips as she kissed him. He wasn’t sure whether he believed they did or not. On one hand, they had been through more dangerous ordeals than anyone else he had ever met and had nearly been killed on multiple occasions. But on the other hand, they weren’t dead yet. Who was to say whether the gods were involved in their dumb luck? Perhaps they were being looked upon fondly for some reason, but he wasn’t going to make any assumptions about it. After all, he had never tried to live his life to please the gods before, and he certainly wasn’t going to start just because of a slight possibility that they really were watching him.

As Penelope asked about his wound, Crow smirked. “As long as we’re careful, I’ll be fine,” he assured her, touching a playful kiss to her forehead. “Besides, if you’re really that worried, then you could do most of the work this time, and I’ll just make it up to you the next.” He winked at her jokingly and then took on a more sultry look as he leaned in to meet her lips in a deep kiss. After waiting so long to be intimate with her again, he didn’t want to put it off any more, regardless of his injury. However, he really did believe it would be fine. The wound had barely begun to ache by the end of their walk that day, and it wouldn’t get worse as long as they were careful not to put pressure on it. It wasn’t that big of a risk, in his opinion.

Heart pounding with excitement, the thief slipped his hands underneath the hem of Penelope’s shirt and slowly lifted it over her head, trailing his fingers sensuously along her sides as he removed the clothing. Once it was off, he followed suit by taking off his tunic and tossing it aside, meeting her lips again fervently when that was done. It had been so long since the last time they’d been this close that the feeling of her bare chest against his sent thrills up his spine and made him press into her all the more passionately.

“Gods, I missed this,” Crow murmured breathily as he shifted to kiss her along the base of her neck and collarbone, trailing his hands down the length of her body as he reached to remove her pants. “You’re so beautiful, Penelope.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope rolled her eyes playfully at his bawdy suggestion. She was glad that he seemed confident that his injury wouldn't bother him too much though and didn't hesitate to meet his lips halfway as he leaned in to kiss her again. As he removed her shirt, she shuddered at the feeling of his fingers trailing up her sides. His touch sent her heart racing excitedly. Since they hadn't had much time alone—from her finding out about him working with Jaxon to him being bedridden in her camp—it made her all the more eager to get intimate with him.

She let him remove the clothing and paused for a moment as he removed his own tunic. Once he had, she pressed back into him and met his lips eagerly as he kissed her again. As he shifted away from her lips, she let out a serene sigh. "I did too." she murmured, trailing one hand over his back as she held him close to herself. Penelope smiled softly at his words, feeling a swell of affection. The knight shifted to let him remove her pants, kicking them off to the side before pressing a tender kiss to his cheek.

Pulling back, she flashed him a playful smirk and pressed another deep kiss to his lips as she carefully dragged him to the ground with her. The knight was still trying to be mindful of his injury amidst her passion for him. Now laying on her back, she pulled back from him and laid her head back in the grass for a brief moment as she looked up at him. She felt a burst of affection for the thief and brush back a small strand of hair from his face as she gazed up at him lovingly. "Gods, I'll never understand how I got so lucky meeting you." she said with a warm smile.

She leaned up again and began to press a trail of soft kisses down his neck. "If I remember correctly, I think I still owe you for last time.." she said breathily against his skin. She began to run her hands slowly down his sides, coming to a stop at the hem of his pants. Penelope smirked against his skin. "I don't mind taking over if you want.."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow smiled against Penelope’s lips as she dragged him to the ground with her, enjoying her wild energy. He was glad that her father was such a deep sleeper, since they wouldn’t have been able to get away if he had woken up. It was much better to sleep with her now than wait until they reached the castle, especially since they didn’t even know what their time there was going to look like yet. As long as John was fighting to keep them apart, secret getaways like this were the best they were going to get.

Now on top of her, the thief leaned down to press a series of kisses to her neck, trailing his hands sensuously over her body. At her words, he chuckled softly and pulled back to meet her gaze, “I think the same thing about you all the time.” He touched another gentle kiss to her cheek and closed his eyes as she began to kiss him along his neck. The feeling of her soft lips against his skin made him shudder, and a quiet moan escaped from him. After going a whole month without her intimate touch, everything she did made his heart race wildly. He couldn’t believe how incredibly attractive she was and how lucky he was that she wanted to be with him.

As Penelope suggestively offered to take over, he opened his eyes again and grinned at her eagerly. “I think you do,” he murmured, leaning down to press a passionate kiss to her lips and shifting his weight to one arm so he could freely move his other hand over her body. As he did, he allowed her to take off his pants and then pushed the discarded clothing without breaking the kiss. Once he was fully unclothed, he pressed into her even closer, enjoying the intimacy of being with her, skin to skin, without pushing for more right away.

However, after a short while, Crow pulled back to catch his breath and met her gaze with a mischievous smirk. In the next moment, he rolled them both over so that he was lying on his back and she was on top of him instead. His green eyes swept over her body, and he traced his hands slowly down the length of her sides. “Alright, love, show me what you’ve got,” he said with a challenging wink. “I’m all yours.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope closed her eyes as he kissed her passionately. When he finally pulled back, she caught his mischievous look right before he rolled them over so she was on top now. She gave a soft chuckle and smiled down at him. At his challenging words, her smile turned into a smirk. "Will do." she grinned with a playful wink in return. She leaned down and began to press a series of kisses along his jawline, enjoying their closeness for a moment longer before she eventually met him and they began to move as one...

---

The knight rested her forehead against his as she tried to catch her breath. After going nearly a month without being intimate with him, she had been rather energetic despite having traveled all day. All in all, it was worth the satisfaction that had come with it. Penelope shot him a dazed smile before she moved off of him and laid down in the grass besides him. She let out a long exhale and closed her eyes for a moment. "Well... I hope that makes up for lost time." she mused as she turned her head to shoot him a grin.

Her grin faded a bit as she glanced up towards the sky. "Speaking of time, we probably shouldn't stick around out here for too much longer.." she mumbled before lazily reaching for her clothing.