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Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow got to try wine for the first time cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“I’m glad you understand,” Crow smirked at Penelope before looking over the table to see what other dishes he could try. Though venison was his favorite type of meat, that didn’t mean he was going to restrict himself from enjoying all the other elaborate foods the kitchen staff had prepared for him. He refilled his empty plate with cooked vegetables and a white meat that looked like it had come from some type of bird—maybe a turkey? Whatever it was, it smelled delicious, so he intended to try it.

Since he had been bedridden and unable to eat for most of his stay in the knights’ camp, his appetite had grown sizably, and he guessed he would be able to finish off his current plate as well as perhaps one more small helping after that. After all, he needed to put back on the weight he had lost during that time. He hadn’t dropped that much in just a couple weeks, but it was still enough to be a bit noticeable on his already lean frame. He preferred to be at his fittest, which meant keeping up a healthier weight than what he had come down to since his injury in Jaxon’s camp.

In addition to the fancy food, Crow also noticed that a dish had been set out with a blood red liquid in it. Curious to find out what it was, he leaned a little closer to see if he could catch a whiff of it. When he did, he noticed that it smelled like fruit. Is this wine? He wondered, eyeing the mysterious drink with interest. He knew about wine from what others had told him about it, but he’d never seen it before in person. Peasants in the outer villages were far too poor to afford anything more than ale, mead, or small beer, and since he had never been a heavy drinker to begin with, he’d never felt compelled to steal any alcohol like this from nobles.

However, there was nothing stopping him from tasting it now.

Picking up one of the goblets on the table, the thief dipped the cup into the dish to fill it with the strange liquid. He studied it for a moment longer before finally lifting it to his lips to take a small swig. The wine was surprisingly tart, which caught him a little off guard because of its sweet smell, but it wasn’t bad. Overall, the flavor just reminded him of grapes, which he supposed made sense since he’d heard that that was where the drink came from. It was definitely richer than ale.

Crow’s attention was drawn from the wine when he heard Penelope speak up from across the room. Turning to look at her, he smiled softly, finding her interest in the library amusing. It was something he couldn’t appreciate in the same way that she could, since he was illiterate. The most he could do was look at the unique patterns on the spines of the books or search their pages for pictures that he could understand, but the words that painted the paper was beyond his knowledge.

At her following words, his smile faded. She always looked so defeated when Abraxas’s name came up. He hadn’t been able to understand it before, but after losing both Charles and Simon, two thieves he had cared about quite a bit, he had a bit more empathy for the knight.

Standing up from the table, he made his way over to where she was standing and wrapped his arms around the small of her back. He held her gaze for a moment before leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her lips. “It’s crazy that he’s offering me a job at all,” he sighed when he pulled back again, trailing one hand up the length of her back as his eyes wandered to the shelves of books. “You’d think my father would want to choose someone who could read at least one of these languages, wouldn’t you? I mean, I know I have a knack for picking up oral speech, but I don’t see how that’s enough of a reason for me to be qualified for a position like this.”

He frowned slightly as he turned back to the knight, “Even if I took the job, there’s so much I don’t know how to do… It’s a bit overwhelming.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow's priorities are very clear xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“Two years, to be exact,” Crow casted Penelope a wry smirk as he finished piling food onto his plate. The last time he’d been able to eat venison was when they had been traveling through the wealthy parts of Younis on their mission. Since then, he’d never found the opportunity to have it again. He and the other thieves didn’t want to hunt deer unless they could be certain that they would be able to use at least most of the meat, but with no way to store it properly and only four mouths to feed, it would have been a waste to even try. Additionally, most nobles on the edges of the inner kingdom—their main targets on their heists before the war—didn’t seem to eat it often, and when they did, their large family clans always finished off the food without leaving anything leftover that he and his companions could steal. So, he had just come to accept the fact that he would likely never eat it again.

I’m so glad I was wrong about that, he thought with a satisfied sigh as he swallowed a mouthful of the savory meat. Though he disliked almost everything about nobility, he supposed there was one perk to accepting his father’s offer if it meant he could eat like this every day. The flavorful foods that nobles enjoyed were the one thing he had always been a bit envious of. Compared to the bland dishes peasants were able to prepare, the plates of richly spiced entrees with real meat—not the dry, tasteless chicken commoners consumed—were heavenly.

Crow popped another bite of food into his mouth and glanced up as Penelope introduced herself to Hunter. It was quite obvious that the attendant was intimidated by her, and he even seemed to know her family name. The thief smiled softly as she reassured the nervous man that he had nothing to be afraid of, appreciative of her kindness to the servant. It was why he had bothered to invite Hunter to sit with them in the first place, since he’d gotten the impression that the other man wasn’t used to being treated like anything more than a serf.

Perhaps it was possible that Hunter had been avoiding eye contact because he was uncomfortable about being around a known thief, but he suspected it had more to do with the fact that Albin had personally invited him to the castle and was treating him like a royal guest. Even if the attendant didn’t know about the offer the king had made to him, it wouldn’t have been difficult for him to guess that the thief was there for a rather prestigious reason. Of course that would make it confusing for the other man to figure out how to act around him.

Crow turned to Penelope again as she suddenly asked Hunter about arranging an audience with the king. For a moment, he stared at her confusedly until he remembered her experience with Toreus the previous night. After everything that had happened between himself and his father, he’d nearly forgotten that she’d met the Brerratic god and that he’d told her to convince the king to end the war with Younis peacefully. He glanced back at the attendant as he waited to hear what the other man thought about the request.

“Of course,” Hunter dipped his head politely. “The king has retired to his chambers for the night, but I can give him your request first thing in the morning. I’m sure he’ll be eager to hear about your battalion’s progress in the war.” Finished with his small portion of food, the attendant rose from the table and dipped his head in another courteous gesture to Crow. “Thank you for your generosity. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to around the castle.” With that, he turned and exited the room, shutting the door behind him as he left the two alone.

Once he was gone, Crow turned to Penelope with a grin and leaned in to press a quick kiss to her lips before he returned his focus to his food. “Sorry, darling,” he said with a teasing smirk. “I’d give you more of my attention if I could, but I’d like to finish the rest of this food before it gets cold.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Brerratic Servants

Udolf Walter
Age: 49
Brerratic Tutor

Bio: As a long-time friend of Albin, Udolf has been personally tutoring all of the Mannering children for the last twenty years. He has a strict, no-nonsense attitude and takes his job very seriously, seeing their progression of knowledge as a point of pride in himself. Among all the Mannerings, Braden is his favorite student because of his drive and ambition to prepare himself for the throne.


Preston Bossard
Age: 18
Manservant to the Brerratic Viceroy

Bio: Originally from Myrefall, Preston came to the castle when he was fourteen looking to make a livable wage to support himself and his younger sister after their parents passed of the Creeping Death. The previous king of Brerra put him to work as a serf, assigning him to do menial tasks like cleaning and cooking in exchange for housing for both siblings in the servants’ quarters of the castle. However, his chance to do better for himself came when a new viceroy was named by King Mannering. Knowing the new ambassador would need a personal attendant, Preston was quick to volunteer his services, thus earning himself and his sister a better room in the castle along with the other benefits that come from serving a high-ranking noble.


Hunter Druel
Age: 28
Manservant to the King of Brerra

Bio: The Druel family has been serving the Mannerings for generations. Hunter was assigned to be Albin’s manservant when he was just thirteen years old and has been working solely for him for the last fifteen years. Though he has earned plenty of perks by serving the viceroy (now king), he dislikes his job and is continuously mistreated by Albin over any small mistakes he makes. Thus, he is cautious to perform all of his work to the best of his ability out of fear of being reprimanded.


Eldon Noyers
Age: 58
Court Physician

Bio: Eldon had been the head physician of the Brerratic castle for the last twenty years. He has treated the previous and current royal family, as well as any other nobles that either lived or visited the castle in need of healing. He is extremely skilled in his work and takes pride in the curing the ailments of his patients, no matter who they are.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

This is probably Albin's best attempt to convince Crow to take the job xD
He'll do almost anything for good food

For real, haha I can't wait for his reaction
Also, I feel like Crow's going to lord it over him that he's got a higher title xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow followed eagerly after the attendant as they headed down the corridor that led to the stairs. Though he wasn’t particularly fond of the lavish lifestyles of nobles, he couldn’t help but be curious to find out what sort of arrangements the king really had made for him. Based on their earlier conversation alone, it sounded like Albin was determined to convince him to take the job as his new viceroy, so he didn’t doubt that the man had planned to give him comfortable sleeping quarters during his stay in the castle. However, he was mildly surprised as the attendant led them higher up the stairs. From what he remembered about the layout of the palace, they were going to an area reserved specifically for members of the royal family and the highest ranking noblemen in the kingdom.

He eyed the servant’s back, momentarily wondering if he had made some mistake or had gotten sidetracked in his intention to bring the thief to his room. Instead, he was further shocked as Penelope questioned the other man first, only to find out that the king had assigned him to stay in the viceroy’s chambers. Crow’s eyes widened, and he glanced furtively at Penelope, who looked just as astonished as he was. It seemed his father was going all out in his attempts to ‘reconnect’ or whatever else he was trying to do. Suddenly a bit more eager to find out what his room was going to be like, he hastened his pace a bit up the staircase.

Eventually, the trio arrived at a set of ornate wooden doors on the fifth level of the castle. Crow’s eyes swept over the hallway with interest. The only other time he had even ascended this high in the palace was when he had attempted to steal the previous king’s crown three years ago. It felt strange to be standing here now, fully welcomed by the current king to make the place his home during his stay. He’d never thought he would be able to do anything like this as a thief.

The attendant stepped forward and pulled open one of the doors, gesturing for the other two to enter before him. Crow was quick to follow the suggestion, ignoring how the other man continued to avoid his gaze as he walked past him. Right away, he was stunned to see the kind of chambers he had been given. The room itself was massive, with a large, four-post bed in the center that was lined with what appeared to be thick blankets and red silk sheets. Off to the right side was a library with shelves of books and scrolls and a round, well-crafted table and chair set up beside the window.

The room by itself was impressive enough, but what caught Crow’s attention was the setup on the left side. Another, slightly larger table was arranged with platters of different kinds of dishes that the thief had never seen before. Curious to get a closer look, he trotted over to the table and swept his gaze over the luxurious feast. “Wow,” he whistled, turning back to the attendant with a bright grin. “Is all of this for me?”

“Yes,” the other man nodded, keeping his eyes lowered to the floor. “The king wanted to make sure you were well fed, since you arrived after supper.”

“Well fed?” Crow echoed with a laugh. “I’m a hearty eater, but this is too much for even me to finish alone.” He turned to Penelope with a wink. “Want to help me out, love?” He paused for a moment, thinking something over before he glanced at the attendant. “And you too.”

“Me?” the other man’s eyes widened as he finally met the thief’s gaze.

“Yes, you,” Crow snickered, gesturing to one of the empty chairs at the table. “Come on. You probably haven’t had a chance to stop working and eat dinner either, right? Take some. I’m certainly not going to eat it all.”

The attendant shifted his weight nervously, “I shouldn’t. I still have other things to do for the king and—”

“Those things can wait,” Crow waved his hand dismissively. “Take a break. I won’t tell the king if you won’t.”

The attendant shuffled his feet. “I-If you insist,” he muttered, tentatively approaching the table.

“There’s a good man,” Crow grinned. “By the way, what was your name?”

“Hunter,” the other man answered, staring at the thief in surprise as if he wasn’t used to being asked about himself.

“Nice to meet you,” Crow greeted him with a friendly smile, taking a seat nearby and gesturing subtly for Penelope to join him. “I’d introduce myself, but I have a feeling you already know who I am.”

“Of course,” the attendant nodded. “Everyone in the castle knows who you are.”

“I’d be offended if they didn’t,” Crow laughed, filling up his plate with a venison dish he had spotted the moment his eyes had fallen on the small feast. “Gods, if I’d known the king was going to give me food like this, I would have accepted his invitation a long time ago,” he mused with a shake of his head.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow's really enjoying rubbing it in William's face that he's not at the castle to be arrested xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow blinked at William’s question, confused at first by his accusations of Penelope until he remembered that the knight had found out about them being together two years ago. He studied the other man cautiously. He and Penelope had been trying to keep anyone else from finding out about their relationship, but it was going to be hard to convince her old comrade that there was nothing left between them when he had already caught them once before. If William realized the truth, there wasn’t much to stop him from running his mouth to the other knights in the castle. Of course, that wouldn’t be a problem if he chose to accept his father’s offer and take on a noble title, but he had yet to decide if that was the path he wanted to follow. For the sake of keeping his options open and preventing Penelope from having to run away with him early, they had to convince William that they weren’t together anymore.

He listened tensely as Penelope tried to brush off their involvement as a simple guard duty assignment from her father. It was a thin lie, and William was clearly still suspicious, but at least it gave them something plausible to work with. He glanced at Penelope, biting back a pleased smirk as she combatted the other knight’s attempts to separate them with yet another lie. It seemed that if William was intent on catching them a second time, he was going to have to find a better angle than what he was working with now. As long as they could continue using John as a scapegoat, her comrade was helpless to prove that there was more going on here than met the eye.

Fortunately, William seemed to realize this as well and reluctantly backed down, although not without spitting one last warning at Penelope for good measure. Crow rolled his eyes. The threat was empty anyways. Since her father already knew about them, there wasn’t much the other knight could do to separate them by going to John about their relationship. But, of course, he kept his mouth shut since he didn’t want to alert William to the fact that they were back together at all.

Before anyone had a chance to respond to William’s last words, Crow heard the sound of footsteps on the wooden floor outside the room. He glanced past the older knight’s shoulder to see the attendant from before step inside with an uncomfortable expression on his face as he announced that he had come to bring the thief to his chambers. Sneaking a look at William, Crow smirked to himself. Naturally, he had to fit in one more gibe before they parted ways with their old comrade.

“That’s right,” he mused, folding his arms loosely over his chest as he grinned at William. “Because the king arranged for me to have my own bed chambers in the castle while I stay here.”

“I’m sure he only did that so he could have his guards keep an eye on you, pest,” the knight growled.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Crow shrugged, turning back to Penelope. “Come on, love. I want to see what sort of arrangements the king has made for his honored guest.” He shot William one more sly smirk before stepping around him to exit the room.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Messing with William is a nice distraction for Crow xD