Penelope smiled softly as he wrapped his arm around her and held her close. Even though it was a bit chilly in the stables, she felt warm with Crow pressed up against her. Already she felt herself beginning to drift off, feeling comfortable and content. “Goodnight.” She mumbled in reply. She closed her eyes and listened to the soft sound of rain as she fell asleep. The weather didn’t bother her any because it wasn’t nearly as bad as the day before but also because of how safe she felt in his arms.
---
Penelope dreamed she was working at the castle in Brerra again. She blinked and looked around the castle corridor. She was searching for someone but she couldn’t remember who. The knight gave an annoyed look and came to a stop by one of the large windows. She looked outside at the kingdom of Brerra. Dark clouds loomed in the distance, making her shudder as she realized a storm was coming.
“Penelope!” Came a sharp voice. A familiar one.
She turned her head to see her father storming towards her, his normally stoic face was wrenched up in anger. “You disgrace!”
“What?” She barely managed to squeak out, confused by how angry he was. What had she done to make him this upset? Penelope couldn’t remember.
“You dare to call yourself a knight!” John shook his head and clenched his fists. “After falling for a thief, you’re no better than a criminal. You should have never come home.”
“I say we throw her in the cell. Let her rot in jail.” Layth was there now. He stepped up, giving Penelope a cold glare. Penelope flinched at their harsh words.
“You both need to calm down!” Penelope snapped, feeling defensive. “I’m your family. If you’d just listen-“
“You’re not my family.” Layth growled. “The only thing you are is delusional.”
“Ease up on her.” Came a new voice. William stepped up now with a look of annoyance. He was calmer than the other two but certainly didn’t seem anymore pleased as he eyed Penelope. “We wouldn’t have caught him again if we weren’t able to use her as bait.”
“I’m going to end this.” John snarled, brandishing his sword and turning to march off.
Penelope felt her heart drop at John’s sentence and she looked around frantically. The scenery change as she was now running through the long line of prison cells, chasing after her father, who always seemed to be just out of reach. The knight felt her blood run cold as she watched him enter one of the cells and drag out the all too familiar shape of Crow, holding the sword at his throat.
Without thinking, Penelope grabbed a brick from the ground and launched herself at her own father. She hit John away from Crow and froze as her father now stared up at her with a sad expression. He bled from a wound on his head and moved to rest a hand on her arm.
“Why... Why did you just forget everything I taught you? Everything you knew?” He choked out. “I thought, you were proud to be a knight..”
“I was, father.. I-I.. I’m sorry.” Penelope gasped, feeling tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.
“Don’t leave, Penelope... We still need you.”
---
But I need him.. Her reply that never came out echoed in her head as she began to stir awake. She woke up rather early due to the craziness of her dream. She inhaled sharply as she opened her eyes to see she was not really in Brerra but rather still in the stable with Crow. Her eyes were watery, built up from the fear and sadness her dream had caused her. As she blinked, her eyes to focus, a few tears even streamed down her cheeks.
She quickly wiped them away and then glanced over her shoulder at the still sleeping Crow. She frowned a little bit as she thought about her dream. Suddenly, she had her doubts about what would happen once they returned to Brerra if the mission succeeded. For one, she wondered if Crow would even want her to be with him. It was something she had never directly told him that she had decided on. He might think not want me around.. Especially if the other knights realize we’re together, then I’ll just be a risk for him.. A weakness. She thought with some dismay. Not to mention, she had her own hesitations about leaving behind her life.
Penelope let out a long sigh and tried to push her worries to the back of her mind for now. They still had a whole castle to get in and out of before she could be concerned about such things. She slipped away from Crow and quietly stood up to stretch. It was still early so she was planning to let him sleep a little longer. Until she heard footsteps and voices outside.
The knight froze. They didn’t sound very close, as she couldn’t make out what they were saying but it was likely only a matter of time until someone entered the stables. She turned and tapped Crow. “Hey, time to wake up.” she whispered. “We gotta go."
