Trash Panda — Roleplayer Guild

As he finished off the last of his food, Crow leaned back against the tree trunk with a contented sigh. Since they had been eating on the go as of late, it was the first time in a while he had felt so full. He closed his eyes, tempted to take a nap before they continued on their journey. Though he would never say so to Penelope, he was glad the other two knights had been lost in the skirmish with the Younisians. Travelling with just Hartley and Penelope was much more enjoyable. There was no one around to rush them along or chastise him for being anything more than an obedient little prisoner. He felt like he could finally relax and be himself.

“We should get moving,” Penelope said, interrupting Crow from drifting off. “I want to get as far as we can before the sun sets, and luckily it seems we still have a good bit of day left.”

“What’s the rush?” he yawned. “Let’s take break to digest for a bit. The king will still be there whenever we get around to fulfilling our mission.”

“The king?” Hartley echoed, furrowing his brows. “Wait, so you weren’t just saying that yesterday because you were drunk? You’re actually going to see the king?”

Crow opened his eyes again, realizing his mistake. “Err, yeah. We just have some business with him before we go back to Brerra. Don’t worry about it, kid.”

Hartley eyed him suspiciously as details started to connect in his head, “You’re… you’re going to steal something from the king, aren’t you?” His wide, brown eyes darted from Crow to Penelope. “That’s why you came to Younis, isn’t it—to rob the king?”

“I said, don’t worry about it,” Crow shifted his weight, trying to read the boy’s expression. He still couldn’t tell what Hartley really thought about it, and he wanted to be prepared to stop him in case he tried to alert the local knights.

Hartley held his gaze for a moment longer before he burst out into laughter. Crow frowned, “What’s so funny?”

“You both might as well turn back now if that’s what your plan is,” Hartley snickered. “No one has ever managed to steal so much as a used napkin from the king! His fortress alone is impenetrable, and even if you somehow managed to get inside, he’s protected by the gods. Trust me; you’re not going to get whatever it is you came here for.”

“Well, Younis has never had to deal with a thief like me,” Crow shrugged nonchalantly, trying to hide his concern about the second half of Hartley’s words. “I don’t doubt I can get inside his palace. Besides, why would the gods care if one object goes missing? I’m sure they have better things to do than babysit the king’s possessions.”

“I’m just telling you what I know,” Hartley shrugged. “The king is believed to be under the protection of the goddess, Aeklora. No criminal has ever been able to get close to him, let alone do anything to cause him harm.”

“I guess that means I’ll be the first,” Crow averted his gaze so the boy wouldn’t see him blanch. Aeklora, Aeklora. Why do Younisians believe she’s so involved in their lives? he thought scathingly. Surely she wouldn’t get involved to stop one thief from taking the king’s staff… right? Suddenly, he wasn’t quite as confident.

“I changed my mind. I’m ready to go now,” he said, rising to his feet. He didn’t want to keep thinking about potential divine intervention when it was too late to turn back. He turned towards Penelope, “Where to, love?”

Crow settled down against the trunk of the tree while Penelope divided up their food. It was strange, but he was beginning to appreciate Hartley’s company. Of course, he had encountered other thieves before, but he had never travelled with one, since most people who shared his occupation preferred to work alone. He found that he enjoyed being able to talk to someone who understood the unpleasant side of life, and who had experienced similar hardships.

But peasants like us aren’t the only ones who go through tough times, he thought as Penelope began to share her family story with Hartley. He eyed her discreetly, She’s been through her share of adversities as a noble, too. He contemplated again how similar their pasts were; how they were both the offspring of noblemen and peasant women; how both of their mothers had died; how the paternal sides of their families looked down upon them. He wondered if that was why they got along as well as they did. He may have grown up as a poor villager while she had been adopted into wealth and prestige, but they still came from the same unlikely romance.

Would we have crossed paths if our situations were reversed? Crow mused as he popped another bite of cooked rabbit into his mouth. If I had been raised by my father, and she by her mother, would we have even met? Of course, there was no way to answer the question, but he didn’t think it was likely. If he had lived with Albin, he probably would have gone into training to become the next ambassador after his father. The job would have included quite a bit of travel, but even if he somehow ran into the hypothetical peasant Penelope, would he have even spoken to her? He wanted to say that he would have remained above the pettiness of nobility, but if he was honest with himself, he didn’t know how he would have turned out in a life of luxury. He was just glad they had ended up on paths that brought them together, if only for a short while.

After Penelope had finished speaking, Hartley broke into a grin, “Don’t forget, you have us too.” He gestured to himself and to Crow. “You may not get any of your family’s money, but we can get you anyone else’s!”

“Or, if you really want your rightful inheritance, I could work something out,” Crow gave her a devilish wink. “Just say the word, and it’s yours, love.”

“Hey,” Hartley glared at him. “Don’t show up my offer.”

“Not everything is a competition,” Crow rolled his eyes. He turned back to Penelope. “All joking aside, the kid’s right. I think there’s too much weight to family. Family can be good or bad, and you’re still stuck with them. Your friends see the good and bad in you and choose to stick with you regardless. You know, I learned that from this woman I met last week. She was pretty weird,” He smiled at her teasingly. “But she was also an amazing friend and the most loyal person I’ve ever met. I’m glad I ran into her.”

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