Same xD
They're all so different. I really like it
Naida's throwing so much information at Penelope lol
They're all so different. I really like it
Naida's throwing so much information at Penelope lol
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STATUS: Does this mean we can call you abmin now? 2 yrs ago
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Does this mean we can call you abmin now?
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Personal Profile
Name: Taylor
Pronouns: They/them
Age: Mid 20s
Relationship: Married (happily, I might add)
Time Zone: Arizona (we hate daylight savings, so it's MST year-round)
Writing History: I've been on a number of different roleplaying websites for over a decade and a half
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Format: 1x1s only. Maybe I'll try a group RP again someday, but I've never had one last longer than a few months
Posting Speed: Depending on my schedule, I can usually post at least once per week
Favorite Genres: Modern, Historical, Romance, Action/Adventure, Horror/Dark, Fantasy, Slice of Life, Dystopian, can be convinced to write some Sci-Fi
Hard 'no's: Fandoms. Sorry, but I can't maintain interest in characters/worlds I didn't build with my partner
Template: Public threads or PMs. I prefer to keep all my RPs in one place, so no emails or G-docs or the like
Rating: Comfortable with 18+ content, but it's not a necessity and I prefer not to center a plot around explicit scenes
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As the two siblings continued to talk and share stories, Crow found that he got along quite well with Naida. So far, he’d learned that she was three years younger than him, that she was a knight in their father’s army, and that the reason why she hadn’t joined the battlefront yet was because Albin hadn’t wanted her to risk his daughter’s life in the war against Younis. Her personality was appealing to him as well. She had a carefree attitude that was remarkably similar to his own, which was surprising to him because of their vastly different upbringings. Overall, he found that he liked her more than he’d been expecting to.
As he grew more comfortable around her, Crow transitioned from sitting rigidly at the edge of the bed to laying on his back with his arms propped behind his head. The two went on chatting casually with each other until the door handle rattled, and someone else stepped inside. The thief lifted his head lazily as he checked to see who had come to visit him this time, only to perk up right away when he realized it was Penelope. Grinning eagerly, he sat up to ask how her conversation with his father had gone, but then paused when he caught sight of the confused expression on her face.
As she suddenly addressed Naida by name, he blinked in surprise, looking between the two women as it became clear that they already knew each other. However, he didn’t get a chance to ask them about it before his sister spoke up. “Penelope!” Naida shrieked excitedly, sliding down from the bed to greet her friend with a hug. “I didn’t know you were back. How’s the war going? Are we destroying Younis?” Suddenly, she blinked as she seemed to realize Penelope had asked her a question first. She looked back over her shoulder at Crow and made a face, seeming unsure how to explain what she was doing in his room.
“I… Well, I was… err…” she fumbled, obviously not used to coming up with a lie on the spot.
Crow watched her with an amused smirk. Though they shared blood, his half-sister definitely didn’t share his ability to outfox other people. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and climbed down to join them near the door. “It’s fine,” he assured her. “Penelope already knows about my relation to the king.”
“Oh, thank gods,” Naida exhaled in relief. Turning back to her friend with giddy excitement, the princess stood up straighter and threw one arm over Crow’s shoulders. “I came here to meet the next viceroy and found out I’ve got a brother instead!”
“I told you I haven’t decided whether I’m taking the job or not,” Crow rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure you will though,” Naida shot him a knowing wink and looked at Penelope again with a joyful grin. “Isn’t this great?”
As he grew more comfortable around her, Crow transitioned from sitting rigidly at the edge of the bed to laying on his back with his arms propped behind his head. The two went on chatting casually with each other until the door handle rattled, and someone else stepped inside. The thief lifted his head lazily as he checked to see who had come to visit him this time, only to perk up right away when he realized it was Penelope. Grinning eagerly, he sat up to ask how her conversation with his father had gone, but then paused when he caught sight of the confused expression on her face.
As she suddenly addressed Naida by name, he blinked in surprise, looking between the two women as it became clear that they already knew each other. However, he didn’t get a chance to ask them about it before his sister spoke up. “Penelope!” Naida shrieked excitedly, sliding down from the bed to greet her friend with a hug. “I didn’t know you were back. How’s the war going? Are we destroying Younis?” Suddenly, she blinked as she seemed to realize Penelope had asked her a question first. She looked back over her shoulder at Crow and made a face, seeming unsure how to explain what she was doing in his room.
“I… Well, I was… err…” she fumbled, obviously not used to coming up with a lie on the spot.
Crow watched her with an amused smirk. Though they shared blood, his half-sister definitely didn’t share his ability to outfox other people. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and climbed down to join them near the door. “It’s fine,” he assured her. “Penelope already knows about my relation to the king.”
“Oh, thank gods,” Naida exhaled in relief. Turning back to her friend with giddy excitement, the princess stood up straighter and threw one arm over Crow’s shoulders. “I came here to meet the next viceroy and found out I’ve got a brother instead!”
“I told you I haven’t decided whether I’m taking the job or not,” Crow rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure you will though,” Naida shot him a knowing wink and looked at Penelope again with a joyful grin. “Isn’t this great?”
I wrote most of mine in advance again cx
Crow got to meet all of his siblings that he never knew existed
Also, I imagine Penelope will be confused when she sees Crow and Naida on the bed xD
Crow got to meet all of his siblings that he never knew existed
Also, I imagine Penelope will be confused when she sees Crow and Naida on the bed xD
The walk back to the viceroy’s room was uneventful for Crow. Since he and William didn’t have anything to talk about, and the knight was focused on keeping him in his sight at all times, neither one said anything until they reached the large wooden doors. It was there that the thief finally turned to his guard with a frown. “I hope you don’t intend on following me inside,” he said with a disturbed look. “I dislike the idea of being watched in my sleep.”
“You can have your privacy,” William shrugged. “But I’m going to stay outside this room to make sure you don’t go anywhere without supervision.”
“Sounds boring,” Crow reached for the handle to open the door. “I’d pity you, but you were the one who decided to inflict this upon yourself.” He tugged on the handle and stepped into the chamber, satisfied that he’d gotten the final word in against the hotheaded knight. Once he was alone, he raised his arms over his head in a long stretch and wandered to the window that overlooked the courtyard below, watching the knights and nobles mill about in the midday sunlight. Despite telling Penelope that he was going to take a nap, he was too wound up with intrigue to sleep. There was so much to see and so many things to think about. He couldn’t bring himself to waste his time by napping.
After a short while, he turned away from the window to look over the viceroy’s room again, pacing along the edge of the chamber as his eyes wandered over the walls and furniture in search of anything he had missed on his first day seeing it. The first thing he noticed was that someone had cleaned up the place while he’d been out with Penelope. The dishes from breakfast had been cleared away, and the bed had been remade from the haphazard state he had left it in that morning. He supposed his father had instructed the palace servants to make sure that his room was always in pristine condition.
As he made his way a little further along the wall, he also noticed there was a dresser with a large mirror on top on the left side of the room. He supposed he must have missed it before, since it was set up near the table where the food had been laid out before. Curious, he approached the mirror and studied the reflection of himself that appeared in its glassy surface. Having grown up with only the reflection of still water available to him, he found that he was strangely transfixed by the sight that was presented in the mirror, as clear as if there was a second Crow staring back at him from the other side.
Interesting, he mused, tracing his fingers gingerly over the cold surface as he studied his own undistorted face for the first time. Captivated by the mirror, he probably would have stood there longer if he wasn’t interrupted by the sound of voices outside the bed chamber. He turned away from his reflection and stalked a little closer to the door, hoping to hear what was being said. If someone was talking about him, he intended to find out about it.
Once he was close enough to eavesdrop, the thief closed his eyes and leaned towards the door as the voices became clearer.
“…the room where he put Lockton, right?”
The first voice was masculine, and one that Crow didn’t recognize.
“Yes it is, but what could you possibly want with him, My Liege?”
He knitted his brow, surprised to hear a slight tremor in William’s voice. Whoever he was speaking to had to have high authority for the stoic knight to act so nervously. He leaned a little closer to the door.
“None of your business.” This time, a feminine voice spoke up. “We want what we want. Now, run along and let us speak to him alone. If I catch you eavesdropping, I’ll make sure the king finds out about it.”
“O-Of course. Take all the time you need.”
As the sound of shuffling ensued, Crow’s eyes widened at the realization that the strangers were about to come inside. He hurried away from the door, backtracking to stand with his back against the bottom left bedpost. With some distance between himself and the door, he crossed his arms over his chest and set his jaw, intending to meet these people, whoever they were, with more confidence than William had shown.
In the next moment, the handle turned and the door opened, admitting three figures into the chamber. There was one man and two women, all well-dressed in expensive-looking clothes and jewelry. However, what caught Crow off guard was their ages. All three seemed to be a few years apart, but every one was clearly younger than him. He wondered how any of them could hold a position in the castle that would make William grovel like he had.
Whatever the case, he wasn’t going to do the same.
“Can I help you?” Crow narrowed his eyes at them challengingly. He was well aware that there were nobles in the palace who likely wanted him dead, so he wasn’t about to roll over if they were here to threaten him.
Instead of answering, the three just gawked at him in silence. Their wide eyes set the thief on edge, and he shifted his weight uncomfortably. However, the tense moment was quickly ended when the older of the two girls brought a hand to her mouth to suppress a snort. “Oh my gods,” she snickered. “I get it now.” She nudged the boy next to her with a snide look. “Looks like father had a secret, huh?”
The boy just grumbled something under his breath and looked away.
“What are you going on about?” Crow eyed them warily, even more baffled by the girl’s words.
“I’d bet you anything I’m right about this,” the girl went on, ignoring him as she elbowed the boy again. “Come on, Braden, you like to gamble. Want to put some money down?”
“Not when it’s a losing bet, Naida,” the boy, Braden, grumbled irritably.
“Ah!” Naida’s grin widened as she clapped her hands together. “So, you think he is too?”
Braden casted the thief a sidelong glance and wrinkled his nose, “I wish I didn’t.”
At this point, Crow’s confusion gave way to annoyance as the others continued to talk about him like he wasn’t there. “Alright,” he growled. “If one of you doesn’t tell me what’s going on, I’m leaving.”
“No, no, wait,” Naida hurriedly held up her hands as she turned to address him at last. “Sorry, it’s just… we weren’t expecting… y’know.” She performed a sweeping gesture over the thief.
“No, I don’t know,” Crow stated dryly, as her gesture did nothing to clear up his confusion. “Please explain.”
Naida exchanged a glance with Braden and the other girl before turning back to him again. “Maybe this will help,” she said, fidgeting slightly in her eagerness. “I’m Naida, and this is Braden and Willow… We’re King Mannering’s heirs.
Crow froze at that. He hadn’t known Albin had had other children after himself, although now that he thought about it, he supposed he should have known better than to assume his father wouldn’t sire his own family. After all, it was common knowledge that the king was married. Of course his wife would have born him other heirs. I have half-siblings, he thought, dumbfounded as he looked the three over with new interest.
His reaction seemed to encourage Naida, who brightened considerably. “I knew it!” she chirped. “You’re our brother, aren’t you?”
“Naida!” Braden hissed at her disapprovingly, giving her a small shove. “Idiot, you can’t say something like that.”
Crow looked between them as the pieces fell into place in his mind. It seemed that they were just as clueless to his existence as he had been to theirs. In fact, they had probably only guessed that they were related based on his appearance alone. He lightly bit the tip of his tongue, toying with the idea of telling them the truth. If his father hadn’t informed them already, he clearing didn’t want them to know. However, it felt wrong to lie to them when they were family—gods, that was a strange thought.
“No, she’s right,” Crow admitted after a moment, averting his gaze uncomfortably. “Albin is my father.”
A brief silence hung in the air before Naida interrupted it again. “You’re our brother,” she beamed, moving to come closer to him. However, before she could get very far, Braden caught her by the arm.
“He’s also a wanted thief, remember?” he growled, turning to Crow with a cautious gaze. “Father has grown too nostalgic… asking a known criminal to be our next ambassador. It’s absurd!”
“You should be grateful that Father didn’t make him a prince,” Naida snickered. “He’s older than you, so you’d be pushed down the line for the throne!”
Braden cringed at that, but before he could rebuttal, Crow intervened. “Look, I don’t know why he asked me either,” he shrugged. “And to be honest, I don’t even know if I’m going to take the offer.”
“What?” Naida whirled on him with wide eyes. “You have to take it! You’re the king’s firstborn son. You deserve to have at least some sort of title.”
“I don’t care about that,” Crow frowned. “I know this may sound crazy to a bunch of nobles, but I like my life as a peasant. I don’t know if I want to give it up just because my father asked me to.”
“Great,” Braden said curtly. “Then go back to it. We don’t need you anyway.”
“Braden!” Naida groaned. Roughly yanking her arm out of her brother’s grasp, she stepped over to Crow’s side. “Don’t listen to him. He’s probably just upset because he’s no longer our father’s firstborn.” She shot Braden a glare before turning back to the thief with a friendly smile. “You may like peasant life, but I promise; you’ll like living in the castle so much more. Sure, there’s some boring stuff, like tutoring and traditions, but there’s so much else to do here—Ooh, I can show you around! It’ll be fun!”
Crow felt a faint smile creep over his lips as he held Naida’s excitable gaze. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and even though he hadn’t made up his mind about whether he was going to stay or leave, he couldn’t help but feel drawn to spending time with his newly discovered half-sister. “I’d like that,” he nodded. “If I end up accepting father’s offer, I’ll be sure to take you up on it.”
“This is ridiculous,” Braden muttered foully. He turned to head back to the door. “I need to speak with father about this.”
“You do that,” Naida waved a hand at him. “I’m going to stay here and get to know our new brother. What about you, Willow?” She turned to the younger girl expectantly.
Willow shuffled her feet uncomfortably beneath her sister’s intense gaze. “I think I’ll go with Braden,” she said in a meek voice, turning to follow the boy out of the room.
“Oh,” Naida frowned, seeming disappointed as the other two left. However, the emotion didn’t last long. “Alright then. I guess it’s just you and me,” she said, turning back to the thief and gesturing for him to sit with her on the bed.
“It seems so,” Crow shrugged absently, still feeling a little overwhelmed at the unexpected news that he had siblings. He followed Naida over to the bedside and sat down, letting his legs dangle over the edge as he settled comfortably on the soft mattress.
His sister did the same, though she positioned herself so that her back was resting against the pillows by the headboard and her legs were crossed in front of her. “Tell me about yourself,” she grinned, leaning contentedly into the cushioning. “Your name is Crow, right? That’s pretty unique.”
“Yeah,” the thief nodded with a soft smile. “It’s not my real name though.”
“Really?” Naida quirked a brow. “What’s your real name?”
“Ah ah,” Crow tutted, smirking at her mischievously. “You haven’t earned that yet. How about I tell you the story of where my current name came from…”
“You can have your privacy,” William shrugged. “But I’m going to stay outside this room to make sure you don’t go anywhere without supervision.”
“Sounds boring,” Crow reached for the handle to open the door. “I’d pity you, but you were the one who decided to inflict this upon yourself.” He tugged on the handle and stepped into the chamber, satisfied that he’d gotten the final word in against the hotheaded knight. Once he was alone, he raised his arms over his head in a long stretch and wandered to the window that overlooked the courtyard below, watching the knights and nobles mill about in the midday sunlight. Despite telling Penelope that he was going to take a nap, he was too wound up with intrigue to sleep. There was so much to see and so many things to think about. He couldn’t bring himself to waste his time by napping.
After a short while, he turned away from the window to look over the viceroy’s room again, pacing along the edge of the chamber as his eyes wandered over the walls and furniture in search of anything he had missed on his first day seeing it. The first thing he noticed was that someone had cleaned up the place while he’d been out with Penelope. The dishes from breakfast had been cleared away, and the bed had been remade from the haphazard state he had left it in that morning. He supposed his father had instructed the palace servants to make sure that his room was always in pristine condition.
As he made his way a little further along the wall, he also noticed there was a dresser with a large mirror on top on the left side of the room. He supposed he must have missed it before, since it was set up near the table where the food had been laid out before. Curious, he approached the mirror and studied the reflection of himself that appeared in its glassy surface. Having grown up with only the reflection of still water available to him, he found that he was strangely transfixed by the sight that was presented in the mirror, as clear as if there was a second Crow staring back at him from the other side.
Interesting, he mused, tracing his fingers gingerly over the cold surface as he studied his own undistorted face for the first time. Captivated by the mirror, he probably would have stood there longer if he wasn’t interrupted by the sound of voices outside the bed chamber. He turned away from his reflection and stalked a little closer to the door, hoping to hear what was being said. If someone was talking about him, he intended to find out about it.
Once he was close enough to eavesdrop, the thief closed his eyes and leaned towards the door as the voices became clearer.
“…the room where he put Lockton, right?”
The first voice was masculine, and one that Crow didn’t recognize.
“Yes it is, but what could you possibly want with him, My Liege?”
He knitted his brow, surprised to hear a slight tremor in William’s voice. Whoever he was speaking to had to have high authority for the stoic knight to act so nervously. He leaned a little closer to the door.
“None of your business.” This time, a feminine voice spoke up. “We want what we want. Now, run along and let us speak to him alone. If I catch you eavesdropping, I’ll make sure the king finds out about it.”
“O-Of course. Take all the time you need.”
As the sound of shuffling ensued, Crow’s eyes widened at the realization that the strangers were about to come inside. He hurried away from the door, backtracking to stand with his back against the bottom left bedpost. With some distance between himself and the door, he crossed his arms over his chest and set his jaw, intending to meet these people, whoever they were, with more confidence than William had shown.
In the next moment, the handle turned and the door opened, admitting three figures into the chamber. There was one man and two women, all well-dressed in expensive-looking clothes and jewelry. However, what caught Crow off guard was their ages. All three seemed to be a few years apart, but every one was clearly younger than him. He wondered how any of them could hold a position in the castle that would make William grovel like he had.
Whatever the case, he wasn’t going to do the same.
“Can I help you?” Crow narrowed his eyes at them challengingly. He was well aware that there were nobles in the palace who likely wanted him dead, so he wasn’t about to roll over if they were here to threaten him.
Instead of answering, the three just gawked at him in silence. Their wide eyes set the thief on edge, and he shifted his weight uncomfortably. However, the tense moment was quickly ended when the older of the two girls brought a hand to her mouth to suppress a snort. “Oh my gods,” she snickered. “I get it now.” She nudged the boy next to her with a snide look. “Looks like father had a secret, huh?”
The boy just grumbled something under his breath and looked away.
“What are you going on about?” Crow eyed them warily, even more baffled by the girl’s words.
“I’d bet you anything I’m right about this,” the girl went on, ignoring him as she elbowed the boy again. “Come on, Braden, you like to gamble. Want to put some money down?”
“Not when it’s a losing bet, Naida,” the boy, Braden, grumbled irritably.
“Ah!” Naida’s grin widened as she clapped her hands together. “So, you think he is too?”
Braden casted the thief a sidelong glance and wrinkled his nose, “I wish I didn’t.”
At this point, Crow’s confusion gave way to annoyance as the others continued to talk about him like he wasn’t there. “Alright,” he growled. “If one of you doesn’t tell me what’s going on, I’m leaving.”
“No, no, wait,” Naida hurriedly held up her hands as she turned to address him at last. “Sorry, it’s just… we weren’t expecting… y’know.” She performed a sweeping gesture over the thief.
“No, I don’t know,” Crow stated dryly, as her gesture did nothing to clear up his confusion. “Please explain.”
Naida exchanged a glance with Braden and the other girl before turning back to him again. “Maybe this will help,” she said, fidgeting slightly in her eagerness. “I’m Naida, and this is Braden and Willow… We’re King Mannering’s heirs.
Crow froze at that. He hadn’t known Albin had had other children after himself, although now that he thought about it, he supposed he should have known better than to assume his father wouldn’t sire his own family. After all, it was common knowledge that the king was married. Of course his wife would have born him other heirs. I have half-siblings, he thought, dumbfounded as he looked the three over with new interest.
His reaction seemed to encourage Naida, who brightened considerably. “I knew it!” she chirped. “You’re our brother, aren’t you?”
“Naida!” Braden hissed at her disapprovingly, giving her a small shove. “Idiot, you can’t say something like that.”
Crow looked between them as the pieces fell into place in his mind. It seemed that they were just as clueless to his existence as he had been to theirs. In fact, they had probably only guessed that they were related based on his appearance alone. He lightly bit the tip of his tongue, toying with the idea of telling them the truth. If his father hadn’t informed them already, he clearing didn’t want them to know. However, it felt wrong to lie to them when they were family—gods, that was a strange thought.
“No, she’s right,” Crow admitted after a moment, averting his gaze uncomfortably. “Albin is my father.”
A brief silence hung in the air before Naida interrupted it again. “You’re our brother,” she beamed, moving to come closer to him. However, before she could get very far, Braden caught her by the arm.
“He’s also a wanted thief, remember?” he growled, turning to Crow with a cautious gaze. “Father has grown too nostalgic… asking a known criminal to be our next ambassador. It’s absurd!”
“You should be grateful that Father didn’t make him a prince,” Naida snickered. “He’s older than you, so you’d be pushed down the line for the throne!”
Braden cringed at that, but before he could rebuttal, Crow intervened. “Look, I don’t know why he asked me either,” he shrugged. “And to be honest, I don’t even know if I’m going to take the offer.”
“What?” Naida whirled on him with wide eyes. “You have to take it! You’re the king’s firstborn son. You deserve to have at least some sort of title.”
“I don’t care about that,” Crow frowned. “I know this may sound crazy to a bunch of nobles, but I like my life as a peasant. I don’t know if I want to give it up just because my father asked me to.”
“Great,” Braden said curtly. “Then go back to it. We don’t need you anyway.”
“Braden!” Naida groaned. Roughly yanking her arm out of her brother’s grasp, she stepped over to Crow’s side. “Don’t listen to him. He’s probably just upset because he’s no longer our father’s firstborn.” She shot Braden a glare before turning back to the thief with a friendly smile. “You may like peasant life, but I promise; you’ll like living in the castle so much more. Sure, there’s some boring stuff, like tutoring and traditions, but there’s so much else to do here—Ooh, I can show you around! It’ll be fun!”
Crow felt a faint smile creep over his lips as he held Naida’s excitable gaze. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and even though he hadn’t made up his mind about whether he was going to stay or leave, he couldn’t help but feel drawn to spending time with his newly discovered half-sister. “I’d like that,” he nodded. “If I end up accepting father’s offer, I’ll be sure to take you up on it.”
“This is ridiculous,” Braden muttered foully. He turned to head back to the door. “I need to speak with father about this.”
“You do that,” Naida waved a hand at him. “I’m going to stay here and get to know our new brother. What about you, Willow?” She turned to the younger girl expectantly.
Willow shuffled her feet uncomfortably beneath her sister’s intense gaze. “I think I’ll go with Braden,” she said in a meek voice, turning to follow the boy out of the room.
“Oh,” Naida frowned, seeming disappointed as the other two left. However, the emotion didn’t last long. “Alright then. I guess it’s just you and me,” she said, turning back to the thief and gesturing for him to sit with her on the bed.
“It seems so,” Crow shrugged absently, still feeling a little overwhelmed at the unexpected news that he had siblings. He followed Naida over to the bedside and sat down, letting his legs dangle over the edge as he settled comfortably on the soft mattress.
His sister did the same, though she positioned herself so that her back was resting against the pillows by the headboard and her legs were crossed in front of her. “Tell me about yourself,” she grinned, leaning contentedly into the cushioning. “Your name is Crow, right? That’s pretty unique.”
“Yeah,” the thief nodded with a soft smile. “It’s not my real name though.”
“Really?” Naida quirked a brow. “What’s your real name?”
“Ah ah,” Crow tutted, smirking at her mischievously. “You haven’t earned that yet. How about I tell you the story of where my current name came from…”
Feel free to write out everything between Penelope and Albin if you want. I've got an idea for something that could happen on Crow's end while they're apart ^^
Crow smirked as Penelope reminded William about their escapade in the Younisian castle two years ago. The male knight was clearly frustrated over being reminded of the time when he had been forced to rely on a criminal in the past, which he found quite amusing. Their old comrade deserved to be made uncomfortable though, what with his constant—and accurate—accusations about them. He hoped it would be enough to make the older man back down, but instead he remained just as stubborn as ever about remaining close to them while they were in the castle.
To make things worse, it looked like it was about time for Penelope’s audience with his father, which meant he was about to be left alone with William. He wrinkled his nose slightly at the thought, suddenly wishing he could go with her to speak with Albin. Of course, he knew that wasn’t a good idea though. Aside from the fact that his appearance would likely be suspicious to the king, Toreus had clearly given the task to her and only her. It wasn’t his responsibility to get involved in that conversation, so he was just going to have to trust that she could handle it on her own.
“Good luck,” Crow said, offering her a reassuring smile, though his dipped his head in a more curt and formal gesture to keep up their charade in front of William. Turning back to the older knight, he sighed resignedly. “I suppose if I’m just going to be stuck with you, I might as well go back to my room. Wandering the castle just isn’t worth listening to you whine all afternoon.”
“You’re just upset because you know I won’t let you steal anything,” William accused with a snort.
“See?” Crow groaned exaggeratedly. “It’s already started.” He turned to Penelope with a lopsided grin. “I’m going to take a nap. Wake me when you’re done talking with the king, so I can explore this place with more tolerable company.” With that, he headed back down the hallway they had come from with William following closely at his heels to make sure he actually returned to his bed chambers.
To make things worse, it looked like it was about time for Penelope’s audience with his father, which meant he was about to be left alone with William. He wrinkled his nose slightly at the thought, suddenly wishing he could go with her to speak with Albin. Of course, he knew that wasn’t a good idea though. Aside from the fact that his appearance would likely be suspicious to the king, Toreus had clearly given the task to her and only her. It wasn’t his responsibility to get involved in that conversation, so he was just going to have to trust that she could handle it on her own.
“Good luck,” Crow said, offering her a reassuring smile, though his dipped his head in a more curt and formal gesture to keep up their charade in front of William. Turning back to the older knight, he sighed resignedly. “I suppose if I’m just going to be stuck with you, I might as well go back to my room. Wandering the castle just isn’t worth listening to you whine all afternoon.”
“You’re just upset because you know I won’t let you steal anything,” William accused with a snort.
“See?” Crow groaned exaggeratedly. “It’s already started.” He turned to Penelope with a lopsided grin. “I’m going to take a nap. Wake me when you’re done talking with the king, so I can explore this place with more tolerable company.” With that, he headed back down the hallway they had come from with William following closely at his heels to make sure he actually returned to his bed chambers.
William crashed the party again ^^;
Crow chewed on the inside of his lip as Penelope told him that when Albin had risen to power, not much had changed in the inner kingdom. He didn’t know what to make of that. On one hand, his father had only been king for less than a year, so he hadn’t had very much time to enact any changes as the new ruler of Brerra. However, he was a little put off to know that his style of leadership didn’t seem very different from the last greedy king. He knew that if he had been put in the same position, he would have begun to change the way the kingdom was run right away.
Then again, I’m not a noble, he argued with himself as they rounded the corner of the hallway. I don’t know how rulemaking works around here. Maybe it’s more complicated than I think. No matter what he found out about Albin, it was difficult for him to make a judgement call about a man he barely knew. He didn’t want to decide that his father was the greedy man his mother claimed that he was when he might be mistaken about the efforts the king had really made to better the kingdom. Similarly, he didn’t want to side with his father when there could be something he was missing. He sighed to himself. The more he tried to solve the puzzle, the more frustrating everything became.
Crow turned to Penelope as she went on to tell him why she was confused too. Like the other things she had told him about his father, he didn’t know what to think of the new information. It almost seemed like there were two completely separate men on the throne. One version of his father was adored by the public and came across like a fair and just man, while the other was despised for being selfish and cruel. He wished there was a way for him to find out which picture was the real one.
As Penelope suggested that he should talk to her father to learn why the older knight hated Albin, he nodded. “I might just do that,” he exhaled. “It would be nice to finally start getting some answers, and I have a feeling I’ll just end up more confused if I only talk to my father.”
“Well, well. Look at you two, together again.”
Crow looked up at the sound of a bitter voice, only to see that William was walking towards them from an adjoining corridor. It seemed the knight had been serious when he’d told them he planned to keep a close eye on them while they stayed in the castle. He rolled his eyes. “Oh, just drop it, would you?” he said dryly. “We’ve already let go of the past. Why can’t you?”
“Because I’m not a gullible fool,” William growled. “You both managed to trick me once. I will not let that happen again.”
“You’re wasting your time,” Crow shrugged, folding his arms over his chest as he met the other man’s gaze evenly.
“I’m sure I’m not,” William argued coldly. “Besides,” he narrowed his eyes. “I dislike knowing there’s a thief wandering freely in the castle. Regardless of who was officially assigned to guard you, I intend to make sure you don’t touch anything you’re not supposed to, myself.”
“Go ahead,” Crow waved his hand apathetically. “I already told you: I’m here on invitation from the king. I have no intention of ruining my welcome by stealing.”
“Snake. I know you’re lying through your teeth.”
“Perhaps,” Crow’s eyes wandered to a nearby window as he began to lose interest in the conversation. “Or maybe your time would be better spent patrolling the hallways for real threats instead of harassing His Majesty’s guest.”
“Nice try,” William curled his lip. “But I’m not going anywhere. Given both of your history,” he gestured at Crow and Penelope in turn. “I plan to stay quite close and make sure you have a guard who won’t let you get away with your usual antics, thief.”
Then again, I’m not a noble, he argued with himself as they rounded the corner of the hallway. I don’t know how rulemaking works around here. Maybe it’s more complicated than I think. No matter what he found out about Albin, it was difficult for him to make a judgement call about a man he barely knew. He didn’t want to decide that his father was the greedy man his mother claimed that he was when he might be mistaken about the efforts the king had really made to better the kingdom. Similarly, he didn’t want to side with his father when there could be something he was missing. He sighed to himself. The more he tried to solve the puzzle, the more frustrating everything became.
Crow turned to Penelope as she went on to tell him why she was confused too. Like the other things she had told him about his father, he didn’t know what to think of the new information. It almost seemed like there were two completely separate men on the throne. One version of his father was adored by the public and came across like a fair and just man, while the other was despised for being selfish and cruel. He wished there was a way for him to find out which picture was the real one.
As Penelope suggested that he should talk to her father to learn why the older knight hated Albin, he nodded. “I might just do that,” he exhaled. “It would be nice to finally start getting some answers, and I have a feeling I’ll just end up more confused if I only talk to my father.”
“Well, well. Look at you two, together again.”
Crow looked up at the sound of a bitter voice, only to see that William was walking towards them from an adjoining corridor. It seemed the knight had been serious when he’d told them he planned to keep a close eye on them while they stayed in the castle. He rolled his eyes. “Oh, just drop it, would you?” he said dryly. “We’ve already let go of the past. Why can’t you?”
“Because I’m not a gullible fool,” William growled. “You both managed to trick me once. I will not let that happen again.”
“You’re wasting your time,” Crow shrugged, folding his arms over his chest as he met the other man’s gaze evenly.
“I’m sure I’m not,” William argued coldly. “Besides,” he narrowed his eyes. “I dislike knowing there’s a thief wandering freely in the castle. Regardless of who was officially assigned to guard you, I intend to make sure you don’t touch anything you’re not supposed to, myself.”
“Go ahead,” Crow waved his hand apathetically. “I already told you: I’m here on invitation from the king. I have no intention of ruining my welcome by stealing.”
“Snake. I know you’re lying through your teeth.”
“Perhaps,” Crow’s eyes wandered to a nearby window as he began to lose interest in the conversation. “Or maybe your time would be better spent patrolling the hallways for real threats instead of harassing His Majesty’s guest.”
“Nice try,” William curled his lip. “But I’m not going anywhere. Given both of your history,” he gestured at Crow and Penelope in turn. “I plan to stay quite close and make sure you have a guard who won’t let you get away with your usual antics, thief.”
Penelope opened up Crow's can of worms with that question xD
Crow smiled as Penelope kissed him on the cheek and walked with her to the door that led out of the room. He was glad that she seemed to be feeling at least a little better now. Though her reason for speaking with the king was vastly different than his, he could understand how she could be feeling so distraught about facing the man. After all, he had been a nervous wreck the day before, when he’d had to have an audience with his father for the first time. With the memory still fresh in his head, it was easy for him to empathize with her.
At her following question, he took a moment to think it over before replying, “I don’t know. He’s… definitely not what I was expecting him to be.” He reached for the door handle and pulled it open, allowing Penelope to step through first before he followed her into the corridor. After casting a quick look around to make sure they were still alone, he went on in a low voice, “I was honestly thinking he would be like most of the other nobles I’ve met in the past: arrogant, selfish, stubborn…” He shook his head. “Instead, he was actually kind to me. He even apologized for everything he’d done to my mother before too. I wasn’t planning to ever forgive him for abandoning us, but… the way he explained his reasoning made it hard for me to stay mad at him.”
He fell quiet as a servant bustled past them with a basket full of richly-colored clothing, waiting until the girl was far enough away from them for him to continue. “I suppose I’m mostly just confused now,” he sighed once they were alone again. “My mother used to tell me he was a terrible and greedy man, but my father said he was just young and foolish and made a mistake, which is I can understand because I’ve done similar things.” He winced as the memory of how he’d hurt Hazel resurfaced in his mind. “But even now, your father has been warning me not to trust him. I’m inclined to believe everyone who’s known my father better than I do, but… it’s hard to do when he seems like a genuinely kind man.
“Plus, there’s the matter of his offer to me,” Crow turned to meet Penelope’s gaze with a deep frown. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I just can’t understand why someone as greedy as the man my mother told me about would give a thief such an honored title.” He lowered his gaze thoughtfully to the polished marble floor of the hallway. “He said he wants to make up for the wrongs of his past, but if he’s lying, then what other reason could there be? No matter how I look at it, his reputation is going to take a hit if I accept the position. I can’t see how he would gain anything by hiring me over any other noble in the kingdom. His explanation is the only one that makes sense, but if it’s really true, then I don’t see how he could possibly be the same person your father and my mother described to me.”
The thief ran a hand perplexedly through his hair. “I don’t know… It’s hard for me to have an opinion of the man when I’m getting such conflicting images of him.” He looked up again to meet the knight’s gaze searchingly. “What do you think about my father? You’ve been working for him for a while now, right? Surely you must have some sort of opinion of him.”
At her following question, he took a moment to think it over before replying, “I don’t know. He’s… definitely not what I was expecting him to be.” He reached for the door handle and pulled it open, allowing Penelope to step through first before he followed her into the corridor. After casting a quick look around to make sure they were still alone, he went on in a low voice, “I was honestly thinking he would be like most of the other nobles I’ve met in the past: arrogant, selfish, stubborn…” He shook his head. “Instead, he was actually kind to me. He even apologized for everything he’d done to my mother before too. I wasn’t planning to ever forgive him for abandoning us, but… the way he explained his reasoning made it hard for me to stay mad at him.”
He fell quiet as a servant bustled past them with a basket full of richly-colored clothing, waiting until the girl was far enough away from them for him to continue. “I suppose I’m mostly just confused now,” he sighed once they were alone again. “My mother used to tell me he was a terrible and greedy man, but my father said he was just young and foolish and made a mistake, which is I can understand because I’ve done similar things.” He winced as the memory of how he’d hurt Hazel resurfaced in his mind. “But even now, your father has been warning me not to trust him. I’m inclined to believe everyone who’s known my father better than I do, but… it’s hard to do when he seems like a genuinely kind man.
“Plus, there’s the matter of his offer to me,” Crow turned to meet Penelope’s gaze with a deep frown. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I just can’t understand why someone as greedy as the man my mother told me about would give a thief such an honored title.” He lowered his gaze thoughtfully to the polished marble floor of the hallway. “He said he wants to make up for the wrongs of his past, but if he’s lying, then what other reason could there be? No matter how I look at it, his reputation is going to take a hit if I accept the position. I can’t see how he would gain anything by hiring me over any other noble in the kingdom. His explanation is the only one that makes sense, but if it’s really true, then I don’t see how he could possibly be the same person your father and my mother described to me.”
The thief ran a hand perplexedly through his hair. “I don’t know… It’s hard for me to have an opinion of the man when I’m getting such conflicting images of him.” He looked up again to meet the knight’s gaze searchingly. “What do you think about my father? You’ve been working for him for a while now, right? Surely you must have some sort of opinion of him.”
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