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Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

The joy in Penelope’s eyes was more than enough to convince Crow that he had made the right decision by choosing to accept his father’s offer. He smiled at her fondly, glad to see that he was finally starting to make her as happy as she deserved to be. After constantly screwing up by lying to her, keeping secrets from her, and even working with Jaxon behind her back, it felt good to treat her with the respect of a better man. He had meant it when he’d told her before that he wanted to be a partner she deserved, and now he could rest in the knowledge that he was fulfilling his word to her at long last.

However, in the midst of his relief, there was still a twinge of anxiousness in his gut that refused to go away. Even though he’d made up his mind, and he knew he didn’t want to go back on the decision he’d made, he couldn’t help feeling a bit of loss for the life he was giving up. He had been a thief in the outer villages since as far back as he could remember. It felt strange to be giving that up so abruptly. Plus, there were still quite a few loose ends for him to tie up, namely in regards to his companions. His heart sank as he realized this meant he wasn’t going to be coming back to them after all. Everything they had been through together was coming to an end. It didn’t change his conviction to take the job as viceroy, but it did make him mourn what he was giving up for the title a little more.

Crow was drawn out of his brief moment of sadness when Penelope suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace and met him in a fervent kiss. The thief blinked in surprise, caught off guard by her sudden burst of affection before he relaxed into her lips. He closed his eyes and held her close, feeling his heart flutter in his chest as he was reminded that everything he was losing would be worth it if it meant she would be happy. Besides, he had already known that his time with the other thieves was limited. Once the war ended, he had been planning to run away with the knight anyway. Taking his father’s offer just meant he would be leaving them a little sooner than he’d expected.

When Penelope pulled back again, he grinned at her fondly, panting lightly as he tried to catch his breath from the passionate kiss. The sight of the joyful tears in her eyes made his affection for her grow all the more, and he found her excitement endearing. “Me either,” he shook his head when she said she couldn’t believe this was happening. “It almost feels like a dream.”

As the knight went on, he chuckled softly. “Darling, you’ve already done more for me than I can ever return,” he murmured, gently brushing her hair away from her pretty face. “Just the fact that you’ve continued to forgive me for all the times I’ve mistreated you is proof enough of that. This is the least I could do to repay you.”

He pressed a long kiss to her forehead and then met her gaze again, his smile fading as it was replaced with a thoughtful expression. “I know I’ve already made up my mind about this, but I don’t want to just abandon my companions,” he mused concernedly. “I… I think when I tell my father that I’m going to take the job, I’m going to ask him if I can have a week to go back to the outer villages first so I can say goodbye to them properly.” He exhaled resignedly. “I’ve lied to them enough… They deserve to know what’s going on.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Wow just realized I never hit send here xD

Naida's gonna be happy, haha

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow lowered his gaze as Penelope stared at him with such astonishment, feeling self-conscious about admitting his decision to her. He’d never expected that he would even consider becoming a noble, let alone go so far as to actually take the title. Honestly, he’d never thought the choice would come up at all. He was a peasant, born and raised. In all his life, he’d never heard of someone of his status rising up to nobility, so it wasn’t something he’d really thought about before, since it had seemed impossible. Yet, here he was now, readying himself to completely change the course of his life to give Penelope the future she deserved. It was a surreal feeling.

As she tried to convince him that he didn’t have to take the job for her sake, seeming to think he had just made his decision based on what they were doing now, he shook his head. “But I didn’t just start considering this right now,” he objected with a frown, looking up again to meet her gaze. “Honestly, I’ve been thinking about it since the moment my father made his offer. It just took me until now to realize that this is the best option for us.”

He shifted his weight slightly as he explained, “Until yesterday, we never thought it was possible for me to be anything other than a thief. It’s not like peasants jump to nobility every day, after all. So… I just think that if there’s a way for us to be together that doesn’t involve you losing everything, then I should take it.” He shrugged faintly. “It makes more sense than denying the offer and making you sacrifice it all anyway, doesn’t it?” A soft smile formed on his lips as he studied her face. “Besides, I already know I won’t regret anything. As long as I’m with you, I’m going to be happy, even if our future together looks a little different than what we were expecting it to be.”

Leaning in, Crow met Penelope’s lips in a tender kiss, pulling her into another embrace. “I’ve made up my mind,” he said when he pulled back again, speaking to her with more certainty than before. “I’m going to take the job.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow made his decision a lot faster than he was expecting xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As Penelope directed him towards the eastern horizon, Crow narrowed his eyes slightly as he attempted to located the river she was talking about. After a moment, he spotted it winding through the distant tree line, along with the buildings just past the far bank. It was hard to tell the difference between the city she was pointing out and all the other towns that surrounded them, but he knew she would recognize her own home, so he trusted that he was looking at the right place.

He casted her a sideways glance as she went on to tell him that she hoped she would be able to take him there after they were finished with their business at the castle. Her words made him shift uneasily. Though he also would have liked to visit her home with her, he knew there was only one way that would be possible. If he chose to deny his father’s request, the instant the meeting ended, he was going to go from ‘king’s guest’ back to ‘wanted criminal.’ It would be risky for him to continue lingering around the inner kingdom while he still had such a large bounty on his head, so they would have to go straight back to the outer villages, where he would be safe from the knights. The only way he could go with her to Bellmare would be by accepting the job as viceroy.

Crow listened quietly as Penelope continued to describe her family’s manor to him, feeling a mixture of curiosity to learn about her childhood as well as tension as he heard the fondness in her voice. It was apparent to him that she was still quite attached to her home in the inner kingdom, which only served to make him feel guilty all over again for wrenching her away from it. He leaned his head a little closer to hers and closed his eyes, silently dwelling on the confliction inside of him. As much as he hated to admit it, the longer he stayed in the castle, the more he felt pulled towards the job his father was offering him.

Everything within him recoiled at the thought of giving up his life as a peasant, but his love for Penelope outweighed every reservation he had. She was a noblewoman and a proud knight—even a lieutenant of her battalion. She didn’t deserve to be dragged down to become a fugitive with him. He wanted what was best for her, and though he was trying his hardest to work things out his way, he couldn’t deny it anymore. A life with a thief simply wasn’t what she deserved.

Feeling dazed from the weight of his choice as well as how quickly he’d made it, Crow met her lips halfheartedly as she kissed him and then averted his gaze when she pulled back again, fidgeting slightly in his discomfort. I can’t believe I’m really doing this, he thought, taking a steeling breath before looking up again to meet her gaze resignedly. “I think… I’m going to accept my father’s offer,” he murmured, nearly surprising himself by his own words despite having already come to terms with the decision in his head.

Swallowing nervously, he forced himself not to look away from her face as he went on in a meek voice, “I’ve been thinking about it all day and, while it’s going to take some getting used to… I think it’s what’s best for both of us, so… I’m going to tell him tomorrow that I want to take the job.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow waited for Penelope to climb up the stairs first before he followed after her, closing the door behind him as he started up the spiraling staircase. Though he was confident in his own fitness, the ascent took quite a bit more out of him than he’d been expecting, and he was breathing heavily by the time they reached a door at the top. However, not wanting to give away his exhaustion, he took a slow breath to calm his wild heartbeat and focused his gaze on the door to distract himself from how sore his legs were.

Once Penelope opened it, the thief followed her again onto the roof of the tower and took a moment to take in the view. They were quite high up, so he could see the neighboring cities that surrounded the citadel, although he didn’t know enough about the inner kingdom to recognize any of them from a distance. All he could tell was that every town was filled with large manors belonging to the nobles who lived there, rising above the treetops of the surrounding forest. It was a breathtaking sight.

As Penelope approached one of the embrasures, Crow trailed after her, leaning over to rest his forearms on the edge of the stonework when he reached the edge. “What do you mean ‘not much’?” he said, casting her an amused grin. “This is amazing.” He turned back to look out over the cities again for a moment before moving to wrap his arms around the knight in a sudden burst of affection. Getting to be a part of her life in the inner kingdom made him feel even closer to her, and he was glad that she had chosen to share it with him while they were here together, however long that would be.

Crow pressed a kiss to her cheek and then leaned his head against hers as he shared the view with her. “Show me where Bellmare is,” he suggested with a soft smile. “That was your home, right? I want to see it.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow's such a show off sometimes cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“So far, everything’s exceeded my expectations,” Crow answered with a shake of his head when Penelope winked at him. “Although I don’t think it’s hard to impress a simple peasant like me with an entire castle.” His gaze swept over the hallway they were walking through now, which was lined with artistic tapestries that he guessed the previous kings had been gifted with through trades with other kingdoms. The palace was really quite something. Every corridor they passed through seemed to be unique, and there were plenty of things to keep his eyes occupied. Even though he wished the wealth that had been stockpiled here would be distributed more fairly in Brerra, he could still appreciate the luxurious views as much as anyone else.

When they eventually reached the courtyard, Crow followed after Penelope, listening as she pointed out everything they walked by. Like the great hall, there were other noblemen and women milling about on the paved pathways who casted him disapproving looks and whispered amongst themselves whenever they caught sight of the thief. He rolled his eyes. They had probably been hoping for a public execution when he’d first arrived in the inner kingdom the day before, so the fact that the king hadn’t announced anything of the sort was likely disappointing to them.

Jaded fools, he thought, trotting after Penelope as he realized he had lagged behind in his distraction. As she led him through the garden, he relaxed a bit, glad to get away from the hatful eyes of the nobles. While he didn’t care what they thought of him, there were quite a few more people in the courtyard then there had been in the great hall. He disliked being so outnumbered by people who probably wished to see him dead, so the prospect of putting some distance and cover between them was appealing.

Crow brushed aside a low-hanging branch as he continued to follow after Penelope, wondering where she was leading him now. In the next moment, he had his answer when she told him that she was bringing him to a tower. He quirked a brow in surprise. Of all the places they could go on the castle grounds, he wasn’t sure what was so special about an outlying tower. Still, the other places she had taken him to so far had been impressive so, taking her word for it, he kept his comment to himself and walked closely at her heels, curious to see the next spot on her agenda.

When they eventually reached the base of the tower, Crow returned Penelope’s smirk with a smile of his own, finding her enthusiasm infectious. “Darling, if you asked me to, I could climb up this tower from the outside,” he winked at her haughtily. “I think I can handle a few stairs.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

She probably should be xD
I doubt he'll make it even the next two days without stealing something small

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow clicked his tongue disappointedly when Penelope told him that the servants took inventory of the supplies in the castle. “Too bad,” he sighed, withdrawing his hand from the dusty jug and shoving it into his pocket. Though he wasn’t overly drawn by the idea of stealing alcohol, he knew his companions would have liked to try the strange, fruity drink when he returned to them. ‘If’ I return, he corrected himself yet again. The question of his fate was still up in the air until he made his decision about the offer his father had given him. Still, it was hard for him to imagine not going back to the other thieves after this. They had all been an important part of his life for the last year, so the idea of giving them up was unsettling to him.

He was drawn from his thoughts when Penelope went on to remind him that he shouldn’t draw attention to himself. “I know. You’re right,” he frowned, glancing back at the jugs once more before he headed back to join her by the door. With some distance between himself and his potential targets, the temptation to steal grew a bit dimmer as he focused instead on the knight. “Lead the way,” he smiled at her fondly and followed after her as she stepped into the hallway again, eager to see what else she was going to show him before supper.

As she explained that she was just going to show him some of her favorite spots, Crow nodded. “That’s probably for the best anyway,” he said, casting her an amused look. “I like to think I’m good at memorizing buildings like this, but I don’t think even I could learn the layout of this whole castle in a single day.” Shifting to walk a little closer to the knight, he nudged her blithely in the side. “Besides, I’d rather take extra time to see all the places you like best, love.”