BuzzingBee

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope gave a small shake of her head at his words to her. The thief may have had a couple hurtful lies in the past—especially his one with Jaxon—but he had redeemed himself enough from each one. Not to mention that he had taken a sword for her as well. In her opinion, he had nothing to repay her for in the first place, but still, she was more than grateful that he was willing to let go of his life to join hers in the inner kingdom.

As his smile faded, her's dimmed a bit at the mention of his companions, taking on a more serious expression. She felt a pang of sympathy for his friends as she recalled how drained they had looked when they thought he was dead. The knight wasn't sure how they'd react to hearing he was leaving but she was certain it be difficult on them. She knew that he would have eventually left them to start a life with her but this was a little more different and far sooner than anyone expected. Penelope leaned in to press a soft kiss to his cheek, silently wishing things could be a little easier for the group.

"That sounds like a good idea. I hope the king approves of it." she agreed with a small nod. The knight paused as her mind wandered to the change of plans again and her eyes widened. "Oh gods I have so many plans to alter now." she muttered softly. Now that Crow was going to become a noble, that meant that she had time to stay to try to convince the king as well as pick up her old plans for after the war and creating a relief program for the outer villages. It sent a new wave of shock over her as well as some excitement. She would need to contact the barons as well as request more time in the inner kingdom from Mia, whom she hoped would prove to be reasonable as usual.

"Looks like I've got quite a bit to work out now myself." she sighed and casted him a small smile. Penelope shifted her gaze to look out over the scenery one last time before letting go of Crow. "We should start heading back down." she added, noting that it was getting late.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I did that the other day too xD

Honestly lol I can't wait to see her react to all of this cx also her being introduced makes me want to see her, Penelope and Olivia all together at some point lol

Penelope's both very happy while also still trying to make sure he's as sure as he says xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope listened as Crow explained that he had been thinking about it for a while now. She knew he had given the offer some thought, since he hadn't made a decision right away, but she was surprised to realize just how much he had been considering it. The knight never thought he would choose to become a noble and learning he had done so not just because of her showing him around made it all the more shocking. As he also reassured her that he would be happy, she felt her heart begin to beat excitedly as she took in the reality of his decision.

She dazedly met his lips as he kissed her and as he pulled back, met his gaze as he went on with more certainty than before."If you're sure about this then, ok. We'll be nobles then." she said softly. The knight was reeling from hearing him make the decision. She had never thought he'd choose to become a noble. All this time she had been preparing herself for the time when they'd leave the castle again and return to their plans in the outer villages. It sent a whirlwind of emotions through her. A hint of relief knowing that she wouldn't have to give up her whole life, a strong wave of affection for him, and a small stab of remaining guilt over the fact that he'd have to leave behind his home now instead. But above all, was a strong sense of joy and excitement that even caught her by surprise.

Penelope had never thought it was possible to keep both her life and Crow so she had already accepted the fact she'd have to give up her life. For that to change in an instant was overwhelming and it made her tear up. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and pressed a passionate kiss to his lips before pulling back to give him a bright smile with tearful eyes. "Gods, I..I can't believe this is happening." she gave a soft laugh and shook her head before she looked up at him affectionately. "I'm never going to be able to repay you for everything you've done for me but I'll do my best to make noble life as enjoyable for you as I can if you're that certain about this."

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope thinks she accidentally pressured him xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope faltered as Crow suddenly announced that he was going to take his father's offer. What did he just say? She stared at him with wide eyes, caught off guard by his sudden decision. The knight wasn't expecting him to make a decision but more so than that, she wasn't expecting him to choose to take the king's offer. He had seemed to be leaning heavily towards returning to the outer villages the last time they had spoke. They were his home after all and he still had his companions to reunite with. Noble life had its perks but she knew that he was plenty happy with his peasant life in the outer villages. She wonder what made him change his mind.

Was it because of her showing him around? The knight paled slightly. It was true that she had been excited and happy to show him around the castle but she had never meant to pressure him into staying. Surely that was what had caused him to choose to stay instead. She couldn't let him make such a big choice just because had seen her getting wrapped up in a moment she never thought would happen. Penelope frowned as she felt a stab of guilt and let go of him so she could take his hands in hers. "Crow-I... Are you sure? You don't have to do this."

The knight shuffled her feet a bit and held his gaze. "If it's because of me showing you around, I was just excited to share this part of my life with you... I mean, yes I like it here, it's my home, but that won't make me any less willing to leave it to be with you. That being said," she looked at him concernedly. "I love you Crow and I want you to be happy. I don't want you making a decision you'll end up regretting."

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope might have a tiny bit of homesickness cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope beamed at his words, glad that he seemed to find the view just as great as she did. Most people who had been up there—usually they were other guards who were just focused on doing their job—so she was excited to finally share it with someone who enjoyed the view for what it was. As he wrapped his arms around her, the knight looked up at him fondly and returned his embrace. After never thinking she'd be able to share such spots like this with him, it made the knight giddy with joy that she was able to be there with him now.

As he asked her to point out Bellmare to him, she smiled and gave a small nod. "Well see that kinda faint blue-ish line between the trees across there?" she said using a finger to trace out the faint line. "That's the river and the cluster of noble manors just beyond that, is Bellmare." Penelope let out a peaceful sigh as she looked over at the distant town. She couldn't make out much detail because of the distance but she knew somewhere among the undistinguishable buildings was her home.

"I really hope I can get a chance to take you there just once after everything's settled." she mused softly. "My family's manor is close to the river and we have a creek that splits off from the river and runs through our land. That was where I learned to swim... I also remember catching frogs with my brother when we were young. Back before he was completely terrible."

Penelope gazed fondly at the inner village before turning to Crow and pressing a tender kiss to his lips. As she pulled back, she smiled at him. "Even if we don't, I'm glad I at least got to show you this place."

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope gave a small laugh at his words and smirked at him. "Alright. Just making sure." She mused with a shrug before moving to open the door. It was a tall tower so there were quite a bit of stairs. Even though she was fit, she knew going up that many stairs would likely leave her out of breath. However, she believes the pay off of where they were going would be worth it.

She stepped inside and began to lead the way up the tall, curling staircase. Eventually she reached the top. Her breathing was uneven by then and admittedly her muscles felt a bit sore because of how long it had been since she had gone up so many stairs. She let out a long exhale as she tried to catch her breath. Directly above them now was a small, square door. Penelope took hold of the handle and pushed upward, swinging it open.

She climbed out onto the top of the tower and swept her gaze over the area. It seemes they had gotten lucky in missing any guards up there at the moment. It was empty aside from them, which likely meant there wouldn't be any guards there until after supper. She turned to Crow with a bright smile.

"I know it's not much but this is my facorite spot." She explained with a hint of bashfulness as she stepped over to one of the openings between the stones that allowed them to look out. Thanks to the height, it was possible to see out far past the castle walls. And with the setting sun, it was the best place to watch it set on the kingdom when the skies were clear. Penelope smiled and leaned against the stone wall as she looked out at the scenery. "I always thought it was pretty here.. Plus I can see Bellmare in the distance. That used to comfort me when I first started working as a castle guard. I got homesick sometimes back then I guess."

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Fair enough xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope nodded her head in agreement. Even if she did have the time to show him around the castle, memorizing it would be far from easy. She could recall getting lost a few times back when she had first started as a palace guard. It had taken her nearly over a month to get comfortable with the layout of the giant building. Of course, now she knew almost as well as she knew the layout of her far more simple home. As he nudged her, she looked up at with a hint of affection as she grinned at his words.

"I'm glad. Hopefully they live you to your standards." she said with a wink before focusing her gaze ahead. The knight lead them out of the castle and into the courtyard. The courtyard itself was rather large as it had room for knights to assemble under attack but also other simple spots to relax as well as the stables which was located closer to the northern tower. However, she was more interested in heading towards the southern tower.

"So this is the courtyard. Stables are over there. There's also a training space for knights around the otherside but I'm guessing it's best we avoid that." Penelope told him with a smile as she gestured to the specific areas. "And right here is the garden." she added as she began to lead the way from the stone path to the dirt path that began in a grassy area filled with bushes, flowers, and trees. It was small in size and didn't seem overly cared for. While the plants were thriving, they lacked grooming, making for it to seem much more forest like as branches from the trees hung low and the bushes grew out onto the old pathway.

Penelope ducked under a low branch and glanced over at Crow with a soft smile. "Not many people visit this place but I like to walk through it sometimes." she smirked. "It's a nice short cut to where I'm actually taking you, which is the southern tower." The knight shrugged and looked back ahead as they walked. The foliage thinned and the base of the tower came into view as they stepped out of the garden. It had been a while since she had last visited this specific spot and having Crow with her made her heart beat a bit excitedly.

Grabbing the door handle she turned to the thief with a smirk. "I hope you don't mind a bit of stair climbing though. Because, we're going all the way to the top."