Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow was roused in the morning by the sound of a bed creaking. He groaned and stretched lazily on his own mattress, rolling onto his side with a broad yawn as he looked up to see where the sound had come from. His eyes fell on John, who was getting up to wake Penelope, and he tensed, reminded of the older man’s insistence to keep them apart. Suddenly in no mood to get out of bed, the thief closed his eyes again and pulled his blanket over his head, hoping the knights would let him sleep a little longer while they got ready for the day. But of course, that didn’t happen.

“Get up, thief,” came the sound of John’s impatient voice as he stepped over to Crow’s bedside.

“It’s early,” Crow complained, burying his head beneath his pillow to get away from the knight’s voice. “Besides, we don’t have as far to walk today as we did yesterday. I can sleep a little longer.”

“That doesn’t matter,” John growled. “We need to get moving, so I’ll only say it once more. Get up.”

“Fine,” Crow exhaled exaggeratedly as he finally pulled the blanket down from his head and sat up, blinking tiredly from his lingering weariness. Though he hadn’t stayed up very late with Penelope the night before, he supposed the shortchange of sleep was still taking its toll. He just hoped he could shake off the rest of his exhaustion before they headed out again.

Once John had unlocked the chain from his wrist, the thief climbed down from his bed to put his boots back on and shoulder his bag. Fortunately, even though he was still a bit tired, it seemed like the rest had done his body some good, because his wound didn’t pain him nearly as much as it had the previous day. If it kept up at this rate, he had high hopes that it would be fully healed within the next two or three weeks.

Crow stepped over to join the other two by the door when he finished getting ready, raising his arms over his head in one more long stretch. As he approached, John edged a bit closer to Penelope and eyed him with contempt. “Undisciplined criminal…” he muttered under his breath before he turned towards the door, addressing the group as a whole, “Let’s get moving. The sooner we get to the castle, the better.”

The knight took the lead as they exited the room, making sure that Penelope stayed close to his side while Crow trailed along behind, shoving his hands in his pockets as he glared annoyedly at John’s back. He’d caught the older man’s comment about his ‘discipline’ and had found it quite unnecessary. Just because he didn’t have the rigid routine of a knight didn’t mean he couldn’t be responsible in his own ways. After all, he’d been the sole leader of a band of thieves for a year. That by itself spoke volumes about his discipline.

It doesn’t matter anyway, he thought, averting his gaze to look over the village as they left the inn. He may be Penelope’s father, but he’s no different than any of the other nobles in this kingdom. I don’t need his approval. Feeling a bit more self-assured, he picked up his pace slightly to keep up with the brisk speed that John had set for the group, hoping this day of walking would go by faster than the last.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Yeah, she won't need to say anything xD
He'll feel pressured into it just because he knows it would give her a better life than what he could offer her in the outer villages
Plus, he'd see it as a way to keep being with her without making her give up her job, since if he rose to nobility, he could genuinely court her

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow chuckled softly as Penelope said she would hold him to his promise. Despite the difficulty of their situation, he wasn’t too worried about sneaking her out of the inner kingdom with him if or when the time came for them to escape. He’d gotten out of tighter spots than this before, and he could do it again. As long as she was willing to run away with him, they would be able to start up the life they had been dreaming about in the outer villages. It was only a matter of time now.

As she told him to go back to his own bed, he nodded wearily, letting out a tired yawn. Though he wanted to stay beside her all night if he could, he knew he needed to get some sleep while he still could. They had another long walk to the next village, and on top of that, his wound still had plenty of healing left to do. He needed to be in good condition to make it all the way there, so he wouldn’t need to make any extra stops along the way. Plus, she was right that the longer they stayed up talking, the longer they risked John waking up and catching them together. The last thing either of them needed was for her protective father to get any more involved than he already had.

“I hope so too,” he sighed, touching one more kiss to her cheek before he carefully rose from the edge of her mattress. Casting her a sleepy smile, the thief reached out to run his hand down the length of her arm and gave her hand a quick squeeze. “Goodnight, love. I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that, he turned and made his way silently back to his own bed, laying down and reattaching the chain to his wrist, so John wouldn’t know he had let himself loose to visit with her.

Settling down as comfortably as he could manage, Crow pulled his blanket up to his chin and closed his eyes, drifting off almost instantly into a light, yet peaceful slumber.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

It worked cx

Same. I imagine that it'll play out like this: Albin would talk to Crow about it one on one (maybe also with John staying in the room for extra protection in case Crow went after him), and Crow would ask for two days to make his decision. During that time is when he'd fill Penelope in on what's going on and get his first real taste of what noble life is like (Albin would be trying to convince him to stay, so he'd give him a room in the castle and try to pamper him, although that wouldn't really go over too well because Crow doesn't care about special treatment xD)

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow lightly bit his lip as he felt Penelope shift against him, momentarily worried that she would deny his suggestion to leave the battlefront early. He was well aware of how determined she was to see the war through to the end, so he knew it was asking a lot to request that she run away with him before it was over. Even though he knew there was still plenty for her to do with him from the sidelines, she had far more influence as a lieutenant than she would as a peasant. It couldn’t be easy for her to give that power up.

However, his fears were quickly laid to rest when she said that she would leave with him if they had to. Letting out his breath in relief, the thief leaned his cheek into her hand and turned his head slightly to kiss her palm as she explained that she wasn’t going to let him go. Her words made his heart flutter with affection. Though it wasn’t the most ideal situation, he was glad that she was willing to do it if she had to. He just hoped she wouldn’t be too upset if they did end up running away together to escape her arranged marriage.

As Penelope kissed him again, Crow met her lips with equal passion, wrapping his arms tightly around her and running his hands over her back. The fervor of the moment was nearly enough for him to forget about John, so it was a good thing that Penelope didn’t linger for too long. When she pulled back again, he leaned his head against hers, breathing a little heavier as he caught his breath.

At her following words, he nodded in agreement. “I’m sure we’ll be alright,” he assured her, reaching up to trail his fingers through her long hair in a comforting gesture. “As long as we don’t talk about it unless we’re certain we’re alone, he’ll never find out.” Turning his head slightly, he pressed a long kiss to her cheek and then met her gaze with a soft smile. “I love you, Penelope. We’ll make it out of this mess one way or another. I promise you that.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow's getting scared that he's gonna lose her xc
This is definitely gonna play into his decision to accept his father's offer lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow rolled his eyes at Penelope’s joking words. Despite what she claimed, the smile on her face when she had first opened her eyes had given away how happy she really was to see him. He shifted a little on the edge of the mattress as she moved to sit up, cringing slightly at the creak her bed made in response to the sudden motion. His eyes flickered to her father’s bed, worried that the older knight had been disturbed by the sound. Fortunately, all remained quiet, and he let out his breath in a sigh of relief.

Turning back to Penelope, he smiled as she wrapped her arms around him and leaned in to meet her lips as she kissed him. After being forced to separate from her all day, he found her lips sweet and her touch relaxing. If John hadn’t been laying a mere two arms-length away from them, he would have easily lost himself in her embrace, but of course, he knew he had to stay alert, so he didn’t let go that completely. Instead, he simply enjoyed what he could get, renewing his patience at the thought of finding some time alone with her when they got to the castle. After all, it would be much harder for her father to get between them when they had a whole palace to sneak around behind his back.

When she eventually pulled back again, Crow laughed softly. “I knew it,” he teased, holding her close and smiling as she kissed him on the nose. As her eyes wandered to her father’s sleeping form, his smile faded, and he followed her gaze. “That’s an understatement,” he exhaled, leaning his head against hers. With John constantly breathing down their necks, he had a feeling these late-night meetings were the best they were going to get until they reached the inner kingdom.

Things might get even worse after we arrive, he thought worriedly, holding her a little more tightly against himself. With John’s threat of finding her a new husband, they were probably going to have even more obstacles to face in the coming days. If they couldn’t find a way out of it, he was going to lose her, and she was going to be wedded to a man who would likely care very little about her.

Feeling a bust of protectiveness for the knight, Crow pressed another kiss to her lips. He lingered for a moment before pulling back again and lowering his gaze. “I-I think that if we can’t stop your father from arranging another marriage for you, we should run away together,” he murmured, shifting nervously as he brought up the suggestion. “I know you don’t want to leave until this war is over, but I don’t want to risk losing you to someone else.” He looked up again to meet her green eyes with a troubled look. “If… If we can’t think of any other way out of this mess… will you come with me to the outer villages?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow got a little rebellious cx

I can't wait for that

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow laid down on his bed with a long sigh, shifting until he found a comfortable enough position to fall asleep. With the chain on his wrist forcing his arm up towards the headboard, and his wound aching from of the long day of travel, it wasn’t easy, but he eventually managed to settle down on his side in a way that was tolerable enough to drift off. He drew his blanket over himself and closed his eyes, still frustrated that Penelope’s father was going to such lengths to keep them apart. He didn’t want to just give up and let the arrogant man have his way, but what else could he do? As long as John continued to force himself between them, he couldn’t get close to Penelope.

But he’s not doing anything right now, the thief realized as he glanced over at the older knight’s sleeping form. A smile found its way onto his lips as he came up with an idea. Moving carefully, he reached over the edge of the mattress, feeling around until he located his boots. The knights in the camp had taken his weapons, but as far as he knew, they hadn’t figured out about the other tools he kept for thievery. Perhaps he had gotten lucky again and they hadn’t found them this time either.

As his fingers brushed against the cool metal of his pick lock key, Crow grinned victoriously. It seemed the knights’ incompetence with thieves had saved him yet again. He drew the small device from his boot and carefully lifted it to the chain around his wrist, inserting it into the lock and working it until he heard a soft click. His heart raced excitedly in his chest, and he casted one more glance towards John to make sure that the knight hadn’t been roused by the soft noise. Of course, the older man laid still, sleeping peacefully while he believed he had trapped the thief in his bed.

Taking advantage of the opportunity he had created for himself, Crow sat up and quietly slipped off the bed, making his way carefully to the other side of the room with well-rehearsed stealth. When he reached Penelope’s bedside, he paused, taking a moment to look down at her sleeping face with a soft smile. It was still hard for him to believe just how thoroughly she had captured his heart. Every time he looked at her, he felt a swell of affection that made him love her even more.

Feeling an especially strong burst of fondness for the knight, he reached out to brush a strand of hair out of her face and gingerly sat on the edge of the bed, leaning down to touch a gentle kiss to her cheek. “Hey there,” he whispered into her ear, trailing his hand from her shoulders down to the small of her back. “Did you miss me?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

John isn't giving them any room to sneak around xD