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Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

When Penelope suggested that they meet at the tavern, Crow nodded. It sounded like a good spot to him, since she already knew how to get there. Besides that, he was already planning to go to Silverpool first, so it wouldn’t be difficult for him to take refuge with one of the local families for a week and wait for her to return. As long as he stayed away from the knights in the area and kept his head down for a while, it wouldn’t be too difficult to stay hidden.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” he said with a grin. “Farhill is about three days’ walk from Silverpool, so we could easily reach it within a few nights.” He ran his hand down her leg, glad that they finally had something of a plan in place for when they were to meet up again in the outer villages. He couldn’t wait to take her to Farhill and show her the best of what his home had to offer.

When she spoke again, he pondered her question thoughtfully. “I think you’re right that I should leave in the middle of the night, since that will be the easiest way to avoid a conflict with William,” he agreed, turning in the saddle to meet her gaze as another thought came to him. “Actually… Silverpool is really close to the border, so it might even be best for me to go there tonight.” He shifted slightly as he spoke. “I mean, I’d rather spend an extra day with you if I can, love, but if we travel too far inland tomorrow, it will be more difficult for me to get home without running into any night watchmen in the outer villages.” He absently brought a hand to his chest as he thought about how difficult it would be to get away from a patrol of knights while he was still injured. “If I leave from the border, I have better odds of getting home without any conflict.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Sameee
This story is gonna get so good x3

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Once everyone was ready to head out, Crow left the room to gather their horses from the stables. He exited the inn and trotted around to the back, feeling energized by the thought of going home soon. He couldn’t wait to be a free man once again. He already knew where he planned to go first when he escaped: the village of Silverpool. If anyone in the outer villages knew how to celebrate, it would be them, and he wanted to enjoy his first night home in the most extravagant way possible. He could already feel his heart race with excitement at the prospect of spending the day with his own people after such a long time being separated from them.

When he arrived at the stables, he performed a quick once-around to make sure he was alone before he collected the staff and bow from their hiding place and hitched them to the stallion’s belly again. Fortunately, the process was quick and no one else showed up while he was there—he suspected the poorer people in this region of Younis didn’t have their own horses—so he came back to Penelope and William in good time.

William stepped up to take his mare from the thief, and climbed onto its back without hesitation. Crow followed suit, propping his foot in the stirrup and hauling himself onto the stallion’s back with a bit more effort. As it had been with putting on his boots that morning, the wound in his chest didn’t hurt nearly as badly today when he went through the motion of mounting the large animal. He was pleased that it seemed to be healing so well.

Once Penelope had climbed up behind him, they took off towards the southern border of Younis.

Crow glanced back at her as she spoke up. “That would be nice,” he agreed with a wistful smile, resting his hand on her leg. “Even if he doesn’t though, one week isn’t too long. We’ll see each other again soon.” He glanced forward at William and then back to Penelope, lowering his voice so the older knight wouldn’t be able to overhear him as he went on: “Speaking of which, when and where should we meet when you come back? We should make sure we know how to find each other when the time comes.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Ansgot Family

Hazel Ansgot
Brerratic Herbalist

Age: 22

Persona: Skilled in the use of medicinal herbs, she acts as something of a physician for the people of the outer villages. She is usually quiet, but has a fiery temper when she feels offended or wronged in any way.

Evelyn Ansgot
Owner of the Black Dagger Tavern

Age: 51

Persona: Well known around the outer villages for her successful tavern, she is a business-focused woman. She is also lesser known as the Mother of Thieves due to her reputation for harboring criminals from the knights of the outer villages. She has a strict personality with a biting sense of humor than can catch some by surprise if they don’t already know her.

Other: She is one of the few literate peasants in Brerra

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Band of Thieves

(Only including the thieves that split off from the main group with Crow)

Simon Brooker
Brerratic Thief

Age: 24

Persona: The most serious of the thieves. He has a pessimistic nature, which makes him skittish when he feels like he is in danger. He tries to be a voice of reason in the group, although his soft-spoken nature often leads to him getting ignored.

DEATH: PAGE 70

Alistair Nash
Brerratic Thief

Age: 23

Persona: A bit of a wild card, Alistair is Simon’s opposite. He loves risk and adventure in all its glory and is quite successful in pulling off dangerous heists. However, his downfall is his lure to women. He is extremely flirtatious and gets distracted easily by a pretty face. Secretly a romantic, he hopes to one day find someone of his own to settle down with.

Rikki (Raven) Godfrey
Brerratic Thief - Gypsy

Age: 23

Persona: Perhaps the wildest of the thieves, she brandishes her trophies by wearing them publicly. Her vanity causes some problems for her companions because of the attention she draws to herself. She also becomes a partner in crime to Crow, even going so far as to take on the name Raven. They get along well and have a ‘friends with benefits’ type of relationship.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Mannering Family

Albin Mannering
King of Brerra

Age: 43

Bio/Personality: As the king’s viceroy, he held the most prestigious position in the castle, second to being an honorary member of the royal family. He claimed the job at the early age of nineteen by his silver tongue and charisma, making him the youngest ambassador in Brerra’s history. Despite his already impressive achievements, he was an ambitious man who would not not settle for anything less than the most powerful position in the kingdom. Knowing the previous king’s wife was barren and would give him no heirs, Albin plotted to secure the throne for himself when the man died so he could become the next ruler of Brerra. During the winter season of the war, he secured his place.

Goldwine Mannering
Queen of Brerra

Age: 40

Extra: Albin’s trophy wife. They were married one year after his fling with Crow’s mother. She is a vain and prideful woman who pulls the strings to make sure her three children are given the best lots in life, and she’s willing to go to any means necessary to guarantee their success.

Braden Mannering
Brerratic Prince

Age: 21

Bio/Personality: As the oldest son of Albin and Goldwine, Braden is being groomed to become the next king of Brerra. He’s strong-willed and proud, expecting to have everything he wants in life. Though he is not officially a knight, he serves as a daytime guard in the inner citadel of the kingdom and has built a small network among some of the barons and baronesses. Like his father, he knows the value of having connections in high places and he often uses them for favors, most often to get out of trouble if he’s had too much to drink.

Naida Mannering
Brerratic Knight - Princess

Age: 20

Bio/Personality: Of all the Mannering children, Naida is the most hard headed. She inherited her father’s pride and ambition, but both qualities are driven by a rebellious streak that often gets her into trouble. She wants nothing to do with noble life, as she sees most of the traditions and rituals as a waste of time. This is why she became a knight: to forsake the duties of a noblewoman in the stead of fighting for glory. Overall, it’s a world much more suited for her wild antics and free spirit.

Willow Mannering
Brerratic Princess

Age: 16

Bio/Personality: Willow is the tamest of the Mannering siblings. She is quiet and reserved, keeping her opinions to herself unless otherwise asked. Because of her beauty and meekness, she already has a number of dukes and lords lined up to court her. She has no interest in seeing a suitor, but has agreed to do so because her mother wants her to marry into another family with power in Brerra in order to merge the two families together.

Secret: Willow is asexual

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Love them both so far~

I'll add some of my minor characters there pretty soon!

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“Alright,” Crow sighed in exaggerated disappointment when Penelope told him he would be sleeping in his own bed that night. He knew it was for the best, though. It wouldn’t be long before he needed to make his escape to the outer villages, and if he reopened his wound now, that was going to be a lot harder to do. As much as he wanted to sleep next to her again, it was more important for him to be recovering from his injuries at this time.

At least we’ll only be apart for one week, he thought as he followed her down the hallway that led to their room. It won’t be too bad.

When they stepped inside, he said a quick goodnight to her and made his way over to the bed on the far side of the room. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he managed to take his boots off without quite as much trouble as the night before. His chest still pained him when he bent over, but it was more bearable this time. He hoped that was a good sign that his wound was healing quickly.

Once his shoes were off, he laid down on the mattress and drew the blanket to his chin, exhaling slowly as he relaxed his tense muscles from the long ride. It didn’t take long before he drifted off to sleep.

--

The next morning, William was the first one to wake up. The knight got up and went to rouse Penelope first before heading over to the thief’s bed. “Get up, Lockton,” he grunted. “We need to reach the border before nightfall.”

“I’m up,” Crow groaned, sitting up on his bed and rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm. He was still tired, but not nearly as sore as he had been the previous day. If all went well, it was going to be a more tolerable trip to the border.

The border, he blinked as the realization of the words hit him suddenly. Tonight would be the last night before he left to go back to his home—before he left Penelope for a week. It felt so surreal. After spending a year in prison and close to a month with the knights, he could hardly believe he was finally going back to the outer villages.

I’m almost home.

With a fresh surge of energy, he swung his legs over the side of the mattress and got ready to leave, then stood by the doorway as he waited for the others.

William eyed him suspiciously, “You’re moving faster than usual. What’s the hurry, thief?”

“I’m just done with this ridiculous mission,” Crow lied with a shake of his head. “I almost died two days ago. Do you know how terrible that feels? I’m done running around in this kingdom and risking my life for a stupid, golden walking stick.”

William stared at him for a moment longer before turning away again, seeming to accept his words, and Crow let out his breath quietly. It helped that the knight still seemed to think he was just a selfish criminal. He didn’t seem to have the faintest clue about the thief’s plans with his comrade.

I might even miss his stubborn face when I go, Crow thought with an amused smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest and watched the others get ready to leave.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Sounds good! I was planning to do the same thing ^^

So close now x3

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow found it pleasant to be able to relax with Penelope even with William nearby. He was a bit surprised that the older knight was allowing them to be together, but he supposed it made sense, since he had saved William’s life, after all. The knight owed him a debt greater than simply tolerating their unusual relationship. However, Crow wanted nothing more from him, so he was content with the way things were between them now.

Even though he was comfortable lying against Penelope, he sat up before they reached the inn, stretching his still-sore back. He was relieved that they would be spending at least one more night at an inn, since he wanted to recover a little more before trying to sleep on the ground again. If he had thrown out his back as he suspected, a soft mattress would be much better for him than grass and dirt.

When they arrived at the front of the building, he slid off of the horse’s back with some help from Penelope. He stood up straight and twisted at the waist to stretch a little more before turning to Penelope with a nod at her words. As the knights headed into the inn to purchase a room, the thief took the horses around to the stables in the back as per usual. Fortunately, no one else was inside at the time, so he had no trouble hiding the staff and bow behind some bales of hay.

Once that was done, Crow turned to go back to the inn, where Penelope was waiting for him once again. He stepped inside and smiled upon seeing her. Making his way over to where she stood, he reached to take her hand in his and leaned down to kiss her briefly.

“So,” he said after pulling back to meet her gaze. “Am I sleeping in my own bed again?” He ran a hand through her long hair as he looked at her. Even though he was still recovering, part of him wanted to risk his injury and sleep next to her anyways.