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Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Since he was still trying to make up for all the meals he had missed during his recovery, Crow finished off his lunch much sooner than either of the two knights. He sighed contentedly and laid back in the grass, propping his arms behind his head in a relaxed posture while he waited for them to finish eating too. Though he couldn’t get as close to Penelope as he would have liked, her nearby presence was calming to him, and he as nearly tempted to take a short nap. However, he didn’t get a chance.

Just as he was about to close his eyes, he heard Penelope mutter something and turned to see that she had spilled her water in the grass. Not wanting to get wet, he sat up again and shifted a little further away from her, so the water wouldn’t reach his clothes. As he did, he looked up at her curiously. She wasn’t normally clumsy enough to do something like this. He wondered if she had been distracted, but that theory was quickly put to rest when he caught sight of the subtle look she gave him.

She did it on purpose, he realized, biting his tongue to stifle a smirk. Clever.

As she got up to find a stream to refill her water, he climbed to his feet too. “I’ll come with you,” he volunteered, stretching his arms over his head in a bored manner. “There should be a stream that’s not too far from here. I can show you where it is.”

“And just why would you do that?” John spoke up, eyeing him with an unreadable expression.

“Because I’m from these villages,” Crow answered with a roll of his eyes. “I know where the stream is, so I can help her find it.”

“Penelope is perfectly capable of finding water on her own,” John pointed out.

“I’m sure she is,” the thief shrugged. “But you even said we’ve got a long trip to Wellspring. Wouldn’t it be faster if I help her find it, so we can be on our way?”

John studied him for a moment longer before he turned away again, “Very well.”

Feeling satisfied that he had tricked the older knight, Crow turned to Penelope with a sly smirk. “Come on then,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I’ll take you to the stream.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I threw in a skip to the first break, since not much else was going on cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow just grunted in response when John said he didn’t believe the king had invited him to the castle to get something from him. The answer just served to confused him more. Though they were related, the thief had been fairly certain Albin was just trying to use him for his own personal gain. After all, what else could he want? If he’d been trying to get rid of him, he could have just had Penelope’s father kill him when he’d been too helpless to defend himself. It had to be a request of some sort, but he couldn’t think of anything that the king could want from someone like him, whether they were related or not.

As Penelope casted him a wink, he smiled halfheartedly, appreciating her effort to help him find out more about his father. Her presence made the whole trip much more bearable. He had a feeling that it would have been much worse if he’d been traveling with John alone. Plus, with her help, they might actually be able to draw something out of her father about the king. Unfortunately, if she was able to help him, her efforts weren’t getting her very far right now.

Crow frowned when John made it quite clear that he wasn’t going to discuss the subject any further in front of him. The older knight’s words sent a pang of annoyance through the thief. Albin was his father. He had every right to know more about the man, so it frustrated him that John was so unwilling to say anything. It wasn’t like he was trying to get any big secrets out of him either. All he wanted to find out was why the king had sent for him after all this time. Was that really so much to ask?

Still, as much as he wanted to push the subject, he had caught the edge of warning in John’s voice. He was just going to anger the older knight if he kept at it any longer. So instead, he lapsed into reluctant silence, deciding it was a safer move to bide his time and wait until John was more willing to speak about his father.

--

The quiet was uncomfortable and made time pass by slowly, but eventually, the group came to a small clearing to rest around midday for lunch. Right away, Crow sought out a place to sit down at the trunk of a tree, relieved to have a break after walking for so long. Though his wound had healed quite a bit by now, it still pained him to travel so far in one stretch, so he intended to make the most of the break while he could.

Leaning back against the tree, he closed his eyes and let out his breath in a long exhale, letting his body relax before he dug through his bag to find something to eat. He wished that he could sit next to Penelope, but with her father so close by, simply being near to her would have to be good enough for now.

I just hope we can get some time to ourselves, he thought disappointedly, tearing off a piece of a loaf of bread and bringing it to his lips to eat.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

For real xD It's probably gonna be their most eventful trip since Younis

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

When John turned around to lead the group out of the camp, Crow followed along a short distance behind him, smiling to himself as they walked. It felt good to finally be leaving the knights who had kept him confined for three weeks and to have Penelope at his side once again, even if there was a bit of distance between them. Though he wasn’t thrilled about the reason for the trip, he had a feeling he was going to enjoy it at least somewhat as long as she was with him.

He glanced down at the knight, tempted to reach for her hand while John’s back was turned. However, he restrained himself. Her father was the last person he wanted to find out about their relationship. If the older man realized his daughter was romantically involved with a criminal, there was no telling what he would do, but the thief knew it couldn’t be good. So, as much as he craved her touch, he knew it wasn’t worth the risk. He would just have to be patient and wait for them to find some time alone later on.

As Penelope struck up a conversation with John, Crow let his gaze wander over the trees around them, finding their topic of choice to be boring. He cared little about the affairs of the inner kingdom nor about how the war had been affecting the nobles who lived there. However, their conversation piqued his interest a little more when she talked to her father about the mission he had been sent on.

Crow snuck a glance at John, curious to find out if the older knight would tell them anything more about the king. After all, he must have known Albin at least somewhat well to have been chosen for this assignment. Perhaps he would be able to tell them more about why the king had sent for his estranged son in the first place. But, unfortunately, the man didn’t seem interested in doing anything like that.

The thief blinked in mild surprise as John shot him a cold look, wondering what he’d done to warrant such hostile behavior. As far as he could tell, he had been on his best behavior since Penelope’s father had arrived in the outer villages. He hadn’t tried to escape, and he hadn’t made any snide remarks either. He let out an irritable huff as he decided that John was probably just treating him this way because he was a criminal.

He may be calmer than the other knights, but he’s just as prejudiced, he thought bitterly, averting his gaze again with narrowed eyes. Part of him was tempted to return the favor and let his petty nature take over, but John was possibly his only resource to learn more about his father before they reached the castle. He had to tread carefully if he wanted to get anything out of him.

“I’m sure this mission isn’t that important to the king,” he muttered, studying John closely as he spoke. “Why would he care about talking to a thief anyway? I’m sure he just thinks he can convince me to do something for him, since I already worked for the last king once. Isn’t that right?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow's getting used to it, even though he still doesn't like it lol

Definitely cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

The next day was a bit more eventful than usual for Crow. Instead of being chained up in Jane’s tent for the entirety of his waking hours, John decided to let him have a bit more free range in the camp. With their trip to the inner kingdom fast approaching, the knight wanted to make sure he would be prepared to cover the distance to the castle. Thus, he was allowed to walk about and exercise his disused muscles a bit as long as he stayed within John’s sight at all times. He still wasn’t given complete freedom back—the knight had chained his hands together so he couldn’t cause any trouble while he was out—but even being in daylight again was a huge step forward for the thief, so he appreciated what he could get.

The other knights in the camp weren’t nearly as happy with the change. They gibed and spat at the thief whenever he got close to any of them, angered that he had even been permitted to stand in their presence. Their hostility didn’t bother him though. John had made it quite clear that any knight who laid so much as a finger on him would be punished, so he was safe from anyone who wished to cause him physical harm. It also gave him a fun game to play.

Whenever any of the nobles were particularly put off by him, he decided to intentionally stick around and bother them until they grew frustrated enough to walk away. He continued doing this long enough that eventually, the knights actively tried to avoid coming close to him and would turn the other way if he walked towards them. Crow was very proud of this accomplishment, because in his mind, it meant that he had won control over the camp. Wherever he went, the nobles would flee.

Unfortunately, his fun was put to an end around midafternoon when John decided he’d had enough time to walk around and forced him to return to the tent. The rest of the day passed by slowly and dully, and the thief ended up sleeping through most of it, since he’d had nothing better to do. So, when the day of their departure finally came, he was quite well-rested and rose early to assist John in packing up their supplies for the trip. The help he offered had little to do with the knight, and more to do with the fact that today was the first time in three weeks that he’d been freed from his restraints. It felt good to have a full range of motion again, and he wasted no time in appreciating it as he packed his own things in a bag provided—reluctantly—by the nobles.

It was just looking like the start of a peaceful morning, when Gavin showed up to say his goodbyes to Penelope. Crow tried to ignore them, knowing the other man had only come to keep up the charade of their courtship, but he found it impossible not to sneak occasional glances in their direction. Even though Gavin had earned more of his trust over the past few weeks, he still wanted to make sure the knight didn’t do anything more than what he had to to fool Penelope’s father.

When the two kissed briefly, Crow tensed and averted his gaze, busying himself by going through his bag to make sure he’d gotten everything he would need for the trip. Though the sight unsettled him, it didn’t bother him nearly as much as it had the first time he’d seen their lips meet. He supposed he must have been growing numb to watching them pretend to be in a relationship. Plus, his genuine kiss with Penelope two days ago was still fresh in his mind, so that helped take the edge off as well.

Once Gavin finished saying his goodbyes to Penelope and John, the knight casted a brief glance towards Crow, who forced a polite dip of his head in farewell. The gesture seemed to relax the other man a bit, which made him guess that Gavin had been nervous that he would be angry over seeing him kiss Penelope. Even though it had bothered him, he wasn’t going to hold it against the knight. After all, he had explicitly said he could handle it, so he had no right to hold it against him anyway.

After Gavin left, it didn’t take much longer for the Crow and the others to finish packing their things. The thief stood nearby Penelope, leaving some intentional distance between them and trying to keep his excitement off his face as John performed one last check of their supplies. Once the older knight seemed satisfied that they were well prepared, he shouldered one bag and handed another to Crow to carry.

“Let’s get going,” he said curtly, glancing between his daughter and the thief. “We’ve got a long walk ahead of us to Wellspring.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Honestly, it'll probably be Crow's fault that they get caught, because he's a little eager to get physical with Penelope after so long xD
That all sounds good to me! Lines up with the locations they'll be at too.

That would be really cool. Also sweet for John, since he probably misses her so much.

That all sounds good to me! I'm really excited for everything that's gonna happen on this trip cx It'll be a whirlwind
Crow's gonna be really confused when he wakes up after all the supernatural drama goes down xD

Also, feel free to skip to the morning when they leave for their trip if you want. Unless you'd prefer to write in the day when Penelope meets with Mia. I'm good either way

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“That’s an understatement,” Crow murmured in agreement when Penelope said the situation they were in now was much better than what had almost happened. He closed his eyes as she buried her head into his neck, resting his cheek against her temple. It was hard to believe how close he had come to getting crippled for the rest of his life by the knights. Two weeks ago, he had been afraid of being unable to function on his own anymore, but now the worst of his worries was the upcoming conversation with his father. While he still wasn’t happy about going through with it, he much preferred doing that to enduring the pain of having his hands cut off.

He sighed softly as he felt her begin to kiss him along his neck, shivering slightly at the feeling of her soft lips against his skin. Though his wound still had quite some time left before it would be fully healed, he hoped that they would be able to find some time alone on this trip to get a little more intimate again. It had been nearly a month since the last time they’d slept together, and he was starting to find the wait more unbearable with each passing day. The touch of her lips and the stroke of her fingers lit him up like fire, and he craved to have her fully after being bedridden for so long.

Turning his head, Crow was just about to pine for another kiss from her, when he froze at the sound of footsteps outside the tent. He cursed under his breath and parted quickly from the knight, sitting down on the edge of the bed to put some more distance between them as John stepped into the room. The thief casted a brief glance at the older knight and then turned away again, annoyed that the man had interrupted the only alone time he’d gotten with Penelope in days. He hoped she would be able to convince Mia to let her come with them to the inner kingdom. Perhaps then, they’d be able to get away long enough to have some quality time together.

As the two knights began to speak amongst each other, Crow watched them furtively from the corner of his eye, holding his breath as he waited to find out if John would accept her company on their trip to the citadel. To his relief, the man agreed rather quickly, seeming pleased with his daughter for her sudden interest in forming wedding plans. The thief bit his lip and looked away, stifling a victorious smirk. As things were right now, one of the two knights Penelope had to convince had been persuaded. All that was left was for her to win Mia’s approval. The thought made him feel giddy with excitement. He couldn’t wait to go on another trip with her, even if they would be accompanied by her stoic father. Anything was better than parting ways right when he was back on his feet.

As Penelope moved to leave the tent, Crow caught her eye for a fleeting moment and offered her a subtle smile. Once she was gone, the room felt lonely again, but the feeling wasn’t as terrible as it usually was now that he knew what was to come. His heart raced eagerly in his chest, and he had to fight from keeping a matching expression from taking over his face. After all, he didn’t want John to catch onto them before they had even left the knights’ camp.

“Get some sleep, Lockton,” John said gruffly as he sat down in Jane’s chair. “I don’t care how excited you are that your legs still work; I need you in good enough condition to make the trip to the castle.”

Crow glanced at him bemusedly. He must have given away his enthusiasm a little more than he’d intended to, but fortunately, the knight seemed to brush off his eagerness as a reaction to the fact that he could stand and walk again.

“Fine,” he shrugged airily, swinging his legs up onto the bed and laying down on his side. It was nice to be able to change positions a little more than he used to when his wound had forced him to lay flat on his back. He could only lie on his right side—the chain on his wrist prevented him from rolling onto his left—but any variation was better than none, so he didn’t complain.

Despite his buzzing excitement at the fact that Penelope might be able to come with him when he confronted his father, it didn’t take long before Crow drifted off into a light sleep.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

It's gonna be such a surprise to both of them cx

That makes sense, haha. It's gonna be really tense between them all when he finds out. It'll probably have to happen pretty early on though, because their trip to the castle will only be about 3 days (going by how long it took for the first group to get to Younis way back when).

Crow's gonna be pretty upset when John starts getting between them, since the whole reason he wanted Penelope to come was so he'd have her for moral support when he faces his father xD

I think that was the plan! And I like that. Would John see her too, or would Penelope tell him and he'd just be kinda dumbfounded? Also, I was assuming that Crow would "fall asleep" during the god's visit (maybe get supernaturally knocked out xD), since we only planned for Penelope to see him/her. If you've got another idea, I'm open to hearing it!