BuzzingBee

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope gave a small nod as he assured her he was alright. She noticed he was favoring the leg but trusted his word so she didn't push it for now. She glanced over at him as he asked about her and soon caught on to what he meant. Letting out a soft sigh, she lowered gaze to the ground and shook her head at his words. "It's not like that..." She began quietly. The image of the scared look Abraxas had right before the arrow hit him flashed through her mind, making the knight flinch.

"It wasn't just a fluke.. It was my fault. I completely froze, right in the open. Just because of the damned weather." Feeling frustration towards herself, she kicked a small rock that came across her path as they walked. "He would have been fine if he just kept moving but he stopped to try and snap me out of it. When I turned to look at him, the arrow sank into his chest instead of my head..." The knight trailed off for a moment. Now that she wasn't running for her life or worrying about if Crow survived, Abraxas' death began to sink in more and along with it, a heavy feeling of guilt. Though they had succeeded in their mission to retrieve the staff and even get William out, she couldn't help but feel defeated.

And I can't do anything to fix that mistake. She added silently. In that moment, she had felt so powerless to what was going on around her. She looked over at William as he walked ahead of them. She'd likely would have joined Abraxas if the older knight had dragged her forward.

"I'm glad that we both made it out and that I'm still alive but..," Penelope shook her head and looked over at Crow with a despondent expression. "I was the one that froze, not Abraxas. I should be the one dead. I was the coward that couldn't move."

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Omg you're right xD He is lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Oh ok cx I just got back from dinner so pretty good timing lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope watched the two as the spoke, falling silent for a moment. She gave a questioning look at Crow as he avoided giving the staff over to William. As her gaze wandered over the staff, she wondered what his reason was for not letting the older knight touch it. The legend was clearly false... So then why? She wanted to ask him but judging by how he didn't give William a detailed answer, the knight figured she'd have to wait for a chance to talk with him privately.

She was glad to see that the older knight wasn't hellbent on taking either the staff or bow from the thief. At least he'll be a little easier to deal with than before.. She thought as she recalled how coldly William had treated Crow before. Though the change wasn't too great, she was still thankful for it. As William turned to her, Penelope bit back a smirk as the older knight quickly changed the subject.

"Alright," She said with a small nod of agreement. "We'll keep moving until we find a better place to stop for the night." Penelope added the last part as she considered how tired she felt. She understood William's desire to keep moving and put a greater distance between them and the castle, but it had been a long day and she wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep.

William nodded and began to follow Penelope as she took the lead as they walked. After a little while of walk, she gradually fell back besides Crow, silently letting William take the lead. She looked over at William, making sure that the older knight had his gaze focused ahead as she moved closer besides Crow so their hands brushed as they walked. "Hey, how's your leg holding up?" She asked, trying to keep her tone casual despite the more serious and concerned look on her face. She hadn't forgotten about the injury and though he had made it out alive, she was still worried about his well-being.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Oh boy they're not going to be able to hide it for very long XD

Basically lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

The two walked quietly in silence, both weary from all that had occurred. Penelope looked ahead in search of the meeting place, worrying that she might have gone in the wrong direction during her panic to get away from the castle. Her gaze drifted up to the sky, noticing that the rain had ceased. Maybe now that the weather's better, I can figure out where we are.. She thought hopefully and began to eye the forest for a sign of the trees from before.

"Wait a minute.. I want to make sure we're going the right way." She told William as she slowed to a stop.

"Don't tell me we're lost." The knight muttered.

"We're not just give me a second." Penelope said with a soft sigh as she looked around.

Penelope looked around the forest with a thoughtful gaze. Let's see I think if we head- Her thoughts were interrupted as a familiar voice called out her named from behind her. Her heart beat fluttered and she turned to see Crow running towards them. The knight nearly took off to meet him halfway but restrained herself as she caught sight of William to the side of her. She worried how the older knight would react to learning what her true feelings for the thief were and certainly didn't want to test it. However, she didn't even have to move as Crow wrapped his arms around her. She wrapped her arms around him as well. "Oh thank the gods you're ok.." She mumbled under her breath.

As he pulled back, Penelope took a step away from him, becoming aware of William's presence once again. She attempted to act like it was nothing and merely nodded her head in agreement with Crow's words. "It's been a long day." She added with a shrug. Her gaze drifted over to Crow and felt a small bit of frustration at the current situation. After all that the day had put them through, she longed to be in his embrace for more than just a brief moment. However, with William around, that was going to be difficult.

Penelope faltered as he asked what had happened to Abraxas. She frowned and lowered her gaze, unsure what to say at first. William stepped up to answer for her.

"Arrow to the chest." William replied curtly as he crossed his arms.

"It was my fault." Penelope admitted quietly. "There was thunder... and I froze.. The arrow should have hit me, not him."

William looked down at her and sighed. "Just be grateful you're still alive. We would have both been dead by tomorrow anyways." He shrugged his shoulders then flickered his gaze over to Crow. "More importantly," He eyed the staff in the thief's hand. "I can't believe you actually managed to steal it." Penelope followed William's gaze over to the staff. She hadn't even noticed it until then. She had just been so relieved to see him alive that she hadn't even noticed the staff that was in his hands.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Oh dang xD

William's starting to change his tune about Crow a little bit cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope stood like a statue as she stared down at Abraxas. Her blood ran cold as what had happened began to sink in. Not only had she come closed to being killed but now one of her comrades was dead because of her fear of the weather. I killed him..The knight paled at the thought. She felt sick to her stomach, nearly feeling like she was going to throw up as guilt began to consume her. “Penelope, I swear to the gods, move!” William snarled at her. She looked over at him, surprised to see how panicked he looked despite the rage in his expression. He suddenly grabbed her arm and gave her a sharp tug as he began to pull her towards the gate.

She could barely move in time at first and was practically being dragged along by the older knight as he ran for the opening of the front gate. A bit disoriented, she didn’t fight against him and instead turned her head to look around. It was then she noticed that the guards from the dungeon were charging towards them with weapons drawn. They were gaining ground fast. Her eyes shifted back to notice another arrow hit the ground near them, alerting her that the archer was still aware of where they were.

Coming back to her senses a bit, she found her own footing and began to run alongside William. The older knight looked relieved and was able to pick up his pace now that he wasn’t dragging dead weight behind him. The thunder began to fade into the background, replaced by the hammering sound of her heart. They had come this far, she couldn't imagine not making it out now. Penelope gripped William's had as they reached the gates. She sprinted ahead of him slightly and pulled him into the shadows casted by the wall. It would keep them safe from the archer's view but they needed to move quickly to avoid the guards that were approaching.

Wordlessly, she lead William along the shadows until they were as close as they could get to the tree line. She glanced over at the guards as they searched for where the two had disappeared to and then looked back at the tree line. With a flash of lightning, Penelope bolted into the cover of the trees with William in tow. For a while, the two just ran through the forest, not bothering to see if they were followed and just trying to put distance between themselves and the castle.

Penelope finally had to slow to a stop to catch her breath. William doubled over placing his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his as well. "Did... Did they follow us?" Penelope managed out between breaths as she glanced over at William. The older knight shook his head.

"No.. No.. I don't think they saw us." William cleared his throat and moved to lean back against a nearby tree. "Let's just rest for a moment. I think we're safe now."

Penelope hesitated. Every part of her was screaming to keep moving and get as far as she could from the palace but she realized that probably wasn't the wisest idea. Both the knights were drenched from the rain and if they pushed themselves too much, they'd end up sick with fevers. She let out a soft exhale and nodded her head in agreement. "Ok." She mumbled.

Though William seemed glad for the break, Penelope shifted anxiously as her gaze drifted to the castle. The fate of Crow was still unknown to her and after losing one of her comrade during their escape, she wasn't exactly feeling confident. The knight scanned the forest around them, desperate for any sign that the thief was nearby, even though it wasn't their designated meeting place.

"So... You want to start explain?" William said looking over at her questioningly.

"What?"

He snorted and crossed his arms. "Everything! How did you get in the castle and what the hell is going on?!"

"Oh.." Penelope paused before focusing her gaze over at the other knight. "I was just sticking to the mission.. Me and Crow-"

"Wait! The thief is still with you?" William looked at her with unsuppressed surprise. "I thought he would have ran off the moment we got captured.."

Penelope looked over at William and crossed her arms. She felt a bit of protectiveness bubble inside her. "He's not what you think he is. He's a good person."

William raised an eyebrow at her and snorted. "We'll see... He might just take the staff and run."

The female knight shot a glare at William. "You'd be dead by tomorrow if I was the only one in that castle. You owe him thanks not criticism." She told him sharply. William shifted his gaze away looking annoyed. Well it's progress.. Penelope thought as the older knight didn't argue with her words. "Anyways," She continued on shifting her gaze away. "we stuck to the mission and got inside the castle.. I was going to stick with him the whole way through but then we overheard some knights talking about your execution so we parted ways.. He went after the staff and I went after you and Abraxas.." She trailed off slightly as she mentioned the younger knight. Her gaze lowered and she felt her guilt building up again.

William held a somber expression, not completely unfazed by the event. He opened his mouth to say something but then decided against it. He sighed and pushed himself off the tree. "Come on, let's keep moving.." He grumbled as he walked past Penelope. She hesitated, casting a glance back towards the castle. Oh Collin, please be ok... She closed her eyes tightly for a moment before turning to continue onwards with William.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Oh ok! That works out pretty well then cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Definitely xc

Ok! c: I’ll probably be around since I don’t really have much planned today lol