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Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

They're really not xD

That's my last one until I get back from my meeting!

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Though he knew Penelope was probably glad to have saved at least one of her comrades, Crow was not quite so enthusiastic about William’s return. He wanted nothing more than to gather her up in his arms and kiss her after everything they had just gone through in the castle, but he restrained himself, not wanting to give the temperamental knight a reason to turn on her. He sighed softly. It was going to be a long journey home if they had to keep sneaking around William.

As Penelope lowered her gaze, he felt a pang of sadness. He wanted to tell her that it wasn’t her fault that Abraxas had died, that she should feel no guilt for surviving, and that he was glad she had been the one to live. However, with William standing right there, he held his tongue. He would just have to find a way to talk to her privately later.

As William mentioned the staff, he turned to the older knight with a casual shrug, “Oh this? Just another day for the most talented thief in both Brerra and Younis.” He smirked as William curled his lip slightly at his haughty response. He had forgotten how much fun it was to get under the knight’s skin. Even though he couldn’t get close to Penelope while William was around, he would at least be able to do that.

“Yes, I’m sure you think you’re very clever,” William grumbled. “But now that we’re out of the castle, someone competent will need to guard it.” He reached to take the staff from Crow’s hand, but the thief jumped back, moving just beyond his reach. He narrowed his eyes, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“You can’t touch it,” Crow said. He shifted his weight. It would be hard to convince William that a goddess had told him not to let anyone else lay a hand on the staff while it was still in Younis. If he hadn’t seen her for himself, he didn’t know if he would believe such an eccentric story either.

“You had better not be thinking about taking it for yourself,” William growled accusatively.

“Gods, no,” Crow made a face. “This thing is more trouble than it’s worth. When we get back to Brerra, it’s all yours.”

“Then why won’t you hand it over now?” William seemed confused now.

“I know you have your moral conflictions about trusting a thief,” Crow said. “But trust me just this once, okay? I have a good reason.”

The knight hesitated for a moment before he gave a reluctant sigh, “Fine. I suppose it doesn’t matter who carries the staff anyway.” He paused, suddenly noticing the bow slung across the thief’s shoulders, and shot him a glare, “Where did you get that?”

“Seriously?” Crow rolled his eyes. “I saved the asses of you and every other knight in Brerra, and you’re concerned that I have a weapon?”

William faltered and turned to Penelope, changing the subject, “We’ve stopped long enough. Let’s keep moving while we still have the advantage of the darkness.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow slipped up a little bit in front of William, but he did think Penelope was dead for a while xD

Yeah lol He went from vocal hatred to silent dislike

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow panted heavily as he ran through the citadel. He was out of breath from sprinting so fast all the way from the fifth floor of the castle, and his injured leg pained him from the exertion as well. Despite these things, he gritted his teeth and pushed forward, holding onto the stolen staff with a white-knuckled grip. He had to keep going until he reached the meeting point—He couldn’t stop until he knew if Penelope was still alive.

His vision blurred from the cold wind, and he felt water stream down his cheeks, though he couldn’t tell if it was from rain or tears. I don’t know that she’s the one who died, he tried to reassure himself. Aeklora never said her name. It could have been one of the others. Still, he remained unhopeful. After getting to know Penelope so well, he knew she would give anything to save her comrades. He doubted she would stand by and let one of the other knights die as long as there was something she could do about it. It had to have been her.

We never should have split up! he thought, squeezing his eyes shut as he ran blindly through the street. This is all my fault. I should have insisted that she stayed with me. How could I have been so stupid! His eyes snapped open again as he tripped on a loose stone in the pavement, stumbling to catch his balance. After a moment, he recovered and kept going until he finally reached the tree line. Heart pounding, he hastened his pace a little more until he could see the cluster of trees up ahead. He was almost there. Soon, he would find out for sure which of the knights had perished at the castle.

Crow burst into the small clearing, finally allowing his exhausted body to stop moving. He dropped to his hands and knees, doubled over as he fought to catch his breath. Between all the running and his panic that he had lost Penelope, he felt like he was going to pass out. He looked up, searching for the others, and felt his heart drop when there was no sign of anyone. They could still be on their way, he thought, sitting up on his knees as he started to get his breathing to slow down. I could have been the first to arrive.

Still weighed down with worry, he moved to sit back against a tree as he waited for the others to join him. However, when no one showed up after a while, he began to doubt they were coming at all. He stared up at the cloudy sky, absently noticing that the rain had subsided. He felt hollow inside. The only one who had known about the meeting location was Penelope. He knew they hadn’t all died at the castle, since Aeklora had told him he would have two companions with him on the journey back, and since no one had come to find him, he was certain now that she was the one who had been cut down.

It’s not fair, he buried his head in his hands. She was the first person to ever truly accept me, and now she’s gone. Why couldn’t it have been one of the others?

Crow stayed in the clearing for a while, until the pain faded into numbness. Taking a shaky breath, he stood up again and picked up the staff. Even though he had lost her, he still had to find William and Abraxas. Aeklora had told him he would need both of the knights in order to succeed, so he couldn’t keep sitting around while they moved on without him. He took off at a brisk jog through the woods, searching for signs that would show him where the others had passed through.

For a while, he found nothing aside from a few broken branches to tell him he was going in the right direction. But eventually, he caught sight of two figures up ahead. It was hard to tell who they were in the darkness, but he was sure it was William and Abraxas. After all, who else would be out in the forest at this hour?

He slowed to a walk as he approached them from behind. However, as he got close, his heart began to beat a little quicker. One of the knights was tall with short cropped hair—William—but the other was short with long hair that fell down her back. She’s alive, he felt weak with relief.

“Penelope!” he called out, running to her in a new burst of energy. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, careful to hold the staff away from her so she wouldn’t accidentally touch it, and sighed. “I thought I lost you,” he murmured in her ear. Suddenly, he realized William was staring at them, so he pulled back and averted his gaze uncomfortably.

“Sorry, I guess I just got excited that we all made it out alive,” he lied, not wanting the older knight to suspect what had happened between him and Penelope during the time they had parted. He wanted to make sure she still had the opportunity to make a respectable name for herself in Brerra and, as hard as it was in that moment, that meant making sure her equals didn’t know she had fallen in love with a thief. He blinked and looked up again after a moment, exchanging glances with the two knights, “What happened to Abraxas?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

It’s warm.

That was the first thought that went through Crow’s mind when he touched the staff. He blinked in surprise, tracing his fingers along its smooth gold plating. With the storm outside sending chill winds into the castle, he had expected the metallic exterior of the staff to be cold. Instead, it seemed to radiate a warmth of its own that made his skin tingle pleasantly.

He slowly wrapped his hand around the middle of the staff and lifted it from where it leaned against the king’s bedpost, his heart still pounding with a mixture of fear and excitement as he picked it up to take a closer look. Part of him was elated that he hadn’t been struck down upon touching it, but another part of him was still worried that Aeklora just hadn’t chosen to kill him right away. He glanced towards the king, hoping to see a sign of surprise, astonishment, or anything else on the man’s face that would reassure him that he was different than the others. Unfortunately, the old man continued to read his book, taking no notice of the thief, still alive and breathing.

He frowned, opening his mouth to try to get the king’s attention, but froze as a new voice spoke up from behind him:

“Don’t bother. He won’t hear you.”

Crow flinched and spun around to see who else was in the room with him, only to find a woman standing near the doorway. He let out a startled yelp and stumbled backwards, tripping on the rug beneath his feet. As the initial shock of her appearance began to fade, he tried to remember when she had come into the king’s chambers. However, as much as he wracked his brain, he couldn’t remember hearing the door open.

Wait a minute, he blinked confusedly as his eyes fell on the door. The rod he had shoved through the handles was still in place, meaning it couldn’t have been opened. Looking around the room, he could see no other exits. He paled, But that’s impossible. I checked when I first came into this room, and there were no other people here. He turned slowly back to the mysterious woman, who was watching him with an unreadable expression.

Taking a moment to really look at her, he saw that she was unusually tall, with long black hair and a tan complexion. She wore shimmering red garments that flowed loosely around her lithe body, almost like water. Her face looked familiar to him somehow as well, although he couldn’t place where he might have seen her before.

“Who are you?” he eyed the woman warily, shifting his weight to run in case she proved to be hostile. “How did you get in here?”

“You know the answer already,” she replied with an air of disinterest.

“If I did, then why would I waste both of our time by asking you?” he retorted dryly.

“You know,” she said again. “You just don’t want to see the truth.”

“If I wanted to listen to pointless riddles all night, I would have kept talking to that old fool,” Crow gestured to the king, who was still sitting at his table. Despite his words, he was beginning to feel uneasy about what the woman was saying. Part of him even believed she was right. He almost felt like he knew her from somewhere, but there was something blocking him from remembering who she was.

He looked at the king again and frowned. The man was still engrossed in his book, paying no attention to the other people in his bed chambers. His apathy was starting to grate on the thief’s nerves. “Hey,” he growled, stepping over to him and snapping his fingers. “Old man, you’re still alive, right?” There was no response. He felt his unease growing steadily. “…Your Highness?” he reached out tentatively to put a hand on the king’s shoulder, and then gasped as he passed through like a ghost.

He retracted his hand quickly and spun around to face the woman, wide-eyed as he was finally able to see the second set of eyes on her face. “Y-you… you’re…” he stammered, unable to form the sentence. He looked down at his own body and then back up to her. “Am… am I dead?”

“Yes and no,” Aeklora’s stern expression was broken by a small smirk. “You are a spirit, that much is true, but you will return to your body.”

Crow stared at her, still in shock at her words. He couldn’t believe he was talking to an actual goddess. Sure, he had rambled at idols and statues before, but he never expected he would find himself face to face with the real deal. It reminded him of the legends he had been told as a child, tales of heroes who had communed with the gods and gained the power to save kingdoms. But he was no hero. What could a goddess possibly have to say to a lowly thief?

Gaining back some of his courage, he shifted his weight, “Can I go back now?”

Aeklora laughed. It was a musical sound that made him relax, despite knowing he had been turned into a spirit by a goddess. She gazed upon him with amusement, “Don’t worry. You’ll return soon enough. I merely wish to speak with you.”

“Why are you letting me live?” he asked suddenly, knowing he might have been testing the waters with her, but unable to help his curiosity. “I thought only a king could touch the staff, but I’m just a peasant from another kingdom.”

“What you say is true,” Aeklora said. “However, the rules have changed.” Her soft expression was replaced with one of anger and sadness. “My heart lies with the people of Younis, but their safety may soon be in peril.”

“Because of the war,” Crow nodded knowingly.

“A war unlike anything this kingdom has ever seen,” Aeklora met his gaze with fire in her eyes. “If it comes to pass, both Younis and Brerra will be destroyed, and they will only be the first of many.”

“The first?” Crow echoed confusedly, suddenly unsure about what she was talking about. Isn’t the war just between Brerra and Younis? How would anyone else be affected?

“I’m afraid I cannot say more,” she shook her head sadly and then looked at him with a sternness that sent a thrill of nervousness down his spine. “Once the staff passes beyond the border of this kingdom, I will no longer have power over it. You must not let it fall into the hands of those who wish to abuse it. Make sure it is retrieved by the king of Brerra—do not let it out of your sight until it passes into his hands.”

“If it’s so important that the staff is safe, then why don’t you just leave it in the hands of the old man?” Crow objected. “He’s held onto it without a problem for years. Why hand it over to me when it’s been safe here for so long?”

“I would prefer to do as you say,” a melancholic smile softened the goddess’s features as she gazed upon the king. “However, his time is upon him. The crown of Younis will soon pass to his eldest son, and with a change in power always comes unbalance and strife. The staff will not be safe here during a period of such turmoil.”

“I see,” Crow frowned again, glancing at the king as well. “So I have to take it then.”

“It’s the only way,” Aeklora nodded. “Though I must warn you: There are those who do not want the staff to find its way into the Brerratic king’s hands. They will try to stop you on your journey back, but you mustn’t let them succeed. Alert your companions. All three of you must be on guard if you are to complete your task.”

All three? Crow paled. Last time he counted, there had been four of them. Oh gods. What did Penelope do? He staggered slightly, suddenly light headed.

“I see you are concerned for your companions’ safety,” the goddess observed. “I just have one more parting word of advice for you, and then you may return to your world—As long as you are within the walls of Younis, do not let anyone else touch the staff. I’ve made one exception, but it is still filled with my power. Anyone else who touches it before it passes into Brerra will die.”

Crow nodded wordlessly, feeling sick to his stomach.

“I’m glad I was able to meet you, Collin Lockton,” Aeklora smiled. “Now, go back to your companions.” With that, she disappeared, and the thief found himself standing by the king’s bedpost again, touching the edge of the warm gold plating of the staff. He blinked dazedly. It was all a vision.

“Well, well,” the king spoke up with a bemused smirk. “It seems Aeklora has taken a liking to you after all, young thief.”

Crow picked up the staff, still disoriented from the vision, and looked at the old man, “How long was I standing there?”

“What on earth do you mean?” the king tilted his head. “You stared at the staff for a while and then picked it up just now.”

“Huh,” Crow murmured absently. Suddenly, his eyes widened as he remembered what the goddess had said about three companions. Penelope! He whirled around and raced towards the door without another word to the old man, who stared after him in bewilderment.

In the hallway, the guards were still standing outside of the king’s chambers. When Crow burst out, they all tensed, ready to stop him, and then balked when they saw the staff in his hand.

“Stand back!” Crow held it up, his eyes flitting between them as they stumbled away from the golden rod. “You all know what happens if you touch it.”

“H-how—?” one knight stammered, pressing his back against the wall. “You aren’t our king!”

“Oh yeah?” Crow smirked at him, twirling the staff in his hand. “Your goddess seems to think differently.”

“It has to be a trick!” another guard growled, although his eyes gaze away his unease. His words gave some comfort to the others though, and they began to close in on the thief. However, before anyone could lay a hand on him, all of the Aeklora statues dropped their golden orbs at once. The knights froze in their tracks.

“It’s Aeklora!” one of them squawked. “She really did let him take the staff.” The guards exchanged nervous glances and hesitantly began backing away from Crow, who was just as surprised as the rest of them.

“T-that’s right,” the thief said, recovering quickly. “So you all had better let me through, or I’ll have her smite every last guard in this palace!” To his relief, they did as he instructed, edging towards the walls so he had a clear path of escape.

Thanks, Aeklora, he glanced upward and then took off at a sprint, passing by the guards on his way back to the stairs. He made his way out of the castle with no resistance—any time a patrol of knights saw the staff in his hands, they backed off—and bolted for the main gate. Fear gripped his heart as he ran for the distant tree line. Penelope, please don’t be dead…

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I just got home, so I'll keep working on my reply now ^^

--

EDIT: That ended up being way longer than I was expecting xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Okay, cool. I’ll be free like 1-6 and after 8 or 9 ^^
That’s my typical Wednesday schedule for this semester

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Dang, she's gonna feel guilty about that later

I have some free time before my last class, so I'll work on my reply~
It probably won't be done until closer to 1 though, because I don't have too much time before the class starts

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

That's my last one for tonight!
Left a bit of a cliffhanger for the people who keep lurking on our thread xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow stood at a standoff against the knights in the hallway, his dagger hovering threateningly next to the Younisian king’s throat. His heart pounded in his chest. So far, the knights hadn’t called his bluff, but they weren’t going anywhere either. If he couldn’t think of a way out of this situation soon, they would probably realize he was lying about killing their king.

“Step aside,” he growled, his eyes darting between each man. “Let me through or I’ll kill him.”

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty!” one of the younger knights called out, ignoring the thief’s threat. “We’ll save you.”

“Shut up,” Crow snapped at him, trying to sound intimidating. “I’m serious, here. If you idiots value your king’s life, then stand down!”

“You can’t kill him,” another knight spoke up. “Aeklora won’t let you.”

“Oh yeah?” Crow raised a brow, shifting his dagger a little closer to the old man’s throat. “Care to make a wager on that little superstition of yours?” As hard as he tried to scare them off, these knights weren’t budging. He had to come up with something else, fast. He glanced over his shoulder at the king’s open bed chambers. He wasn’t sure if there was another escape route in there, but at least it would give him some cover until he could think of another way to get away from the knights.

Turning back to the guards, he narrowed his eyes, “I’m taking him in there. If any of you take even one step towards us, I’ll cut his throat.”

“Oh, no you don’t!” one of the knights tensed, seeming ready to disobey the thief’s order.

Crow swallowed nervously. The guards were literally one step away from discovering that he had been lying to them. His mind raced to come up with another plan, but fortunately, he didn’t need one.

“Do as he says,” the king spoke up unexpectedly. He smiled at the knights. “I will be fine.”

The men exchanged uncertain glances, but stood down. Feeling a wave of relief, Crow backed into the royal chambers, still holding the king’s arm tightly behind his back to keep up his charade. Once they were inside, he released the old man and quickly closed the door, shoving what looked like a wooden cane through the handles to keep the guards at bay.

Finally able to breathe easy, he turned to the king warily, “Why did you help me?”

“Because Aeklora didn’t strike you down for laying a hand on me,” the old man answered unhelpfully. When the thief just stared at him blankly, he gave a knowing smile. “If you were truly dangerous, she would have killed you the instant you touched me.”

“She sounds like a lovely person,” Crow muttered dryly, looking around the room they had entered. It was elegant, yet simply decorated like the rest of the palace. In the center was a large bed, and resting against the bottom bedpost was…

The staff, his eyes widened at the sight of it. Skillfully crafted, the staff looked like it had been carved by a master craftsman and dipped in high-quality gold. Glittering rubies were embedded into the knot that sat atop the body of the staff. Even in the low light of the bed chambers, the whole thing seemed to glow of its own accord. It was mesmerizing.

Noticing Crow’s lingering gaze, the king stepped up to his side and cracked another smile, “I see you’ve taken an interest in the goddess’s symbol of power. Is it not the reason you’ve come here?”

The thief shifted his weight, forcing himself to turn away from the staff so he could meet the old man’s eyes. He had never spoken to anyone that he had stolen from like this before. It was strange, and he didn’t know what to think about it.

“You do not have to worry,” the king chuckled, seeming to read his mind. “If you are here to take the staff, I will not try to stop you.”

“You won’t?” Crow asked in surprise, finding his voice again.

“No,” the king’s kind gaze turned serious. “If you are not supposed to remove it, Aeklora will stop you, herself.”

“How thoughtful of you,” Crow snorted. His eyes wandered back to the staff and he slowly moved closer, drawn by its luster. As he approached the golden rod, his heart began to race again. There was something unexplainably powerful about it that made him nervous to be so close.

Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he turned back to the king once more, “Have others really died from touching it before?”

“Of course,” the old man said with an airy shrug. “I am the only one who has ever held the staff and lived.”

“That’s not exactly the answer I was hoping to hear,” Crow frowned.

“If you are afraid, then why are you still here?”

“It’s not that simple,” Crow lowered his gaze. “I’m not doing this because I want to. I’m doing it because I have to.”

“Interesting,” the king stroked his beard.

“I’m glad my discomfort amuses you so,” Crow said with biting sarcasm.

The old man laughed and shook his head, “No, no. You misunderstand me. However, the musings on my mind are of no concern to you.” He shuffled over to a chair and sat down with a grunt, casually picking up a book and thumbing through its pages. “Do what you will, young thief. I pray that you do not end up like those who came before you.”

“Thanks,” Crow exhaled, turning back to face the staff once more. He stared down at it, entranced by its aura of power, yet unable to bring himself to reach out for it. By this point, his heart was hammering wildly. After hearing about the servant who had died five years ago, and knowing that the current king was the only one who had ever lived, he was more apprehensive to touch the staff than ever. It sounded like the legend was true after all—only the rightful ruler of Younis could hold it without being smote by the goddess.

What have I gotten myself into? he closed his eyes, wishing he had never agreed to carry out this ridiculous mission—wishing that the king of Brerra had chosen any other thief to steal it in his stead. Yet here he was, chosen for gods knew why, to risk his life for the sake of two kingdoms. It was a heavy burden for one man to bear.

Suddenly, an image of Penelope flashed through his mind, and he softened. For what it’s worth, this trip hasn’t been all bad, he smiled to himself. Even if I die tonight, I got to meet her before I go… I got to experience what it is to love and be loved by someone, and that’s something worth dying for.

Opening his eyes again, Crow looked down at the staff with new resolve. I’m ready, no matter what the outcome is. He reached towards it slowly until his fingertips brushed the edge…