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Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow mistook it for excitement xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“At least you’re learning fast,” Crow grinned at Penelope teasingly. They hadn’t even begun the real raid, yet he was already feeling excited about working with her again. It had been quite a while since the last time they had been able to do something like this, and he looked forward to having her by his side again. It was going to be quite different than teaming up with Rikki or Alistair. He’d always known he could rely on the other thieves, but he trusted the knight with his life. Even though he doubted they would encounter anything dangerous in such a simple job, he was glad to know she would be watching his back.

Penelope seemed to share his eagerness. When she moved in to kiss him, he didn’t skip a beat. His arms slipped around her back, and he leaned into her lips with fervor, closing his eyes as he let himself melt into her touch. Between his excitement about the raid and the distance between them lately, the kiss sent his heart racing with new energy. “Well then I think we’re going to be very lucky,” he smirked at her playfully when she pulled back from him again.

At her following question, he stepped over to the cord that laid in a pile on the floor and picked it up in his right hand. “It’s not too hard,” he said, glancing over at the knight. “The most important part is just trusting your body to get you where you want to go. If you don’t think you can do it, it’s much harder to keep from panicking.” As he spoke he took a few steps backward from the bedpost, where Preston had tied the end of the cord, until the linens pulled taut.

“It goes a bit against intuition, but when you climb down a cord like this, you need to lean back and use your arms to hold yourself up,” he instructed, rocking back on his heels and bending his knees to let the rope hold him up. Even though he was standing upright, it was a decent enough demonstration. His mother had taught him the same way when he was young. “When you lean back, your weight will help you keep your footing on the wall without slipping. If you try to lean up because you’re afraid of falling, you won’t have enough traction to hold onto the wall, and you really will fall, so try not to let your nerves get the best of you.”

He stood upright again and turned back to Penelope, “I’ll go first, since I need to open the window underneath us, so you can watch me to get a better idea of it.” He began to gather the rest of the cord in his arms, preparing to lower it through his own window. “Do you think you’ve got a basic understanding of it?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow really likes having an attendant from his home cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“Try tying that end over here.”

Crow and Preston had finished making the cord fairly quickly and had moved on to figuring out the best place to attach it so that it could support the weight of a person. The viceroy stood by his bed and gestured to the bottom right post, while the attendant dragged one end of the linen over and knelt down to knot it. As he worked on that, Crow stepped back over to the door and closed his eyes, listening to find out if anyone was outside his room. The corridor remained silent.

Guessing that Penelope was going to be arriving at any second, he lifted his dagger from the handles and slid it back into his boot. Though he hoped he wouldn’t have to use it, he felt more comfortable with a weapon at his disposal, just in case the situation turned ugly. Once it was securely tucked away, he turned back to see how Preston was faring.

“Is it on tight?” he asked, crouching down to look over the servant’s work.

“As tight as I can make it with a blackwall hitch,” Preston nodded, giving the cord a sharp jerk to prove his point.

“Looks good,” Crow mused, impressed that the boy had tied it so well. He supposed knot-tying was one of the skills that some palace servants were required to learn. “Now we just need to—”

Suddenly, he flinched and turned to look up at the door as it swung open. At first, he worried that the guards had caught wind of his plan to sneak into the lower wing and had come to stop him. However, his fright was short lived when he realized it was just Penelope. His shoulders fell, and he let out his breath in a quiet sigh, standing up to greet her.

At her observation, he smirked teasingly, “Sorry, love. If you wanted to help, you should’ve come here sooner.” As she asked him if it was ready, he glanced back over his shoulder at Preston, who nodded. “Looks like it,” he confirmed, meeting her gaze again with an eager grin.

“What else do you need me to do?” Preston asked from behind him, standing up as well.

Crow turned to him and shrugged, “Actually, I think we can handle the rest. You should go and get some sleep. The fewer people are missing from their rooms, the better.”

Preston frowned, “Are you sure? I want to help if I can.”

“I’m sure,” Crow smiled at him confidently. “I’ll tell you how it went in the morning. Alright?”

“Okay,” the attendant exhaled, though from relief or disappointment, the viceroy couldn’t tell. He bowed courteously to the others before heading for the door. “May the gods keep you safe,” he murmured on his way out.

“Thanks,” Crow said appreciatively. Even though he wasn’t sure if the gods cared about his little endeavor to return the missing jewelry, it was nice to hear the blessing from his home culture.

As soon as Preston disappeared into the hallway, Crow turned to Penelope with a wink, “Ready to fool some knights and foil a baron’s plans?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Preston saw another opportunity to pester Crow xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

When he left the Vermillions behind, Crow headed back to his room at a leisurely pace. The night was still young, so he had plenty of time to get ready for the raid without rushing, and he also didn’t want to draw any attention to himself by looking like he was in a hurry. As he walked, he had to bite his tongue to stifle the smile that threatened to take over his lips. While the reason for the backwards heist wasn’t the most cheerful, he was excited to have the chance to use his skills as a thief once again. Of course, he’d never planned to permanently stop using them, but he had assumed that when he took the title as his father’s viceroy, he wouldn’t have any more opportunities to conduct anything this elaborate again. It thrilled him to know he had been wrong.

When he finally arrived at his room, Crow wasted no time in getting ready for his plan. His first move was to take the dagger from his boot and slip it through the door handles of his bed chamber, so no one could walk in on him while he was making preparations. Once he felt like the weapon was securely in place, he stepped over to his bed and emptied his pockets, setting down the jewelry and the book he’d been carrying on the mattress before taking off the tunic he had on. Since he hadn’t been concerned with keeping out of sight while he’d been living in the castle, he hadn’t bothered wearing dark colors as he used to in the outer villages. However, now that he was going to be sneaking out, he wanted to wear something that would let him blend in better at night.

The viceroy made his way over to the wardrobe and sifted through the various clothes inside until he found a deep purple surcoat. He hesitated as he studied the fabric. It was certainly lavish enough to help him pass as the king, but its extra weight might also make it more difficult for him to climb down and up from his window. After a pause, he pulled it down from its hanger. Even though the thick clothing would make it harder for him to move around, the most important thing was for him to avoid getting caught by the guards. He had to use whatever he could to make that happen, even if he was a bit uncomfortable.

Grabbing an undershirt and a black leather belt as well, Crow got dressed and stepped back over to the bed as he contemplated what to do with the stolen jewelry. The surcoat he’d put on didn’t have any internal pockets, and he didn’t want to risk letting them fall from his trouser pockets during the climb down. After a moment, a sly smile crossed his lips, and he picked up the jewelry from the bed. He strung the pendant around his neck, put the bracelet on his wrist, and slipped the rings on his fingers.

Once he had put all of it on, he stepped over to the mirror and let out an involuntary snort. Adorned in the rich clothes and jewels, he looked almost exactly like his father. As long as none of the guards got a good look at his face, he felt certain he would be able to pass for the king. He picked up the comb he had used before his ceremony and straightened out his hair for good measure.

He was just about to begin making the cord to climb down from the window when a knock sounded at the door that made him jump. The viceroy muttered a curse under his breath. If anyone saw him now, wearing the missing jewelry that the entire royal guard was searching for, his plan would be ruined before it could even start. He fumbled to take the rings off his hand, but then relaxed when a familiar voice hissed from the other side of his door: “Collin, it’s me.”

Crow let out a sigh of relief and hurried over to the door. “Get inside,” he said in a low voice, ushering Preston into his bed chamber and closing the door behind him—he made sure to replace the dagger as well.

When he turned around, the attendant gawked at him in unveiled confusion. “What are you doing?” he asked, pointing at the diamond pendant around the viceroy’s neck.

“Playing dress up,” Crow said sarcastically before making his way over to the wardrobe and digging out the spare linens. “Don’t worry. It’s part of the plan,” he said more honestly as he held out a small stack of sheets to the boy. “Help me with these, would you? Penelope is going to be here soon, and I need to make them into cords.”

“Okay,” Preston nodded without further question. He took the sheets and sat down on the floor to start winding them into makeshift ropes.

Crow gathered a couple more and then moved to join him. A short silence fell between them as they worked on fashioning linen cords and tying the ends together. Preston was the one to break it.

“So,” the attendant mused as he tugged on the knot he’s just made. “What are you going to do with these?”

“I’m going to use them to climb out the window,” he answered absently, studying the servant’s work with a scrutinizing gaze. “Tie that knot a little bigger. It needs to be broad enough to act as a grip.”

Preston paused in what he was doing to look up at the viceroy with a frown, “You’re not running off with the jewelry, are you?”

“Of course not,” Crow scoffed. “The noblemen’s rooms are all in the wing below this one. It’s easier to get in from outside than to sneak past every guard in the castle. Now keep tying. I want to get this finished before Penelope gets here.”

“Why is she coming?” the attendant asked, ignoring his orders.

“Because she’s going with me,” the viceroy said impatiently. “Hurry up.”

“You really do fancy her.”

“What?” Crow blinked at Preston, caught off guard.

The attendant was eyeing him amusedly, “You never let anyone else help you, but you’re letting her.”

“You’re helping me right now,” the viceroy pointed out blandly. “Or at least, you’re supposed to be.”

Preston shrugged, “You still seem closer to her than anyone else.”

“I don’t know why you’re so interested in bringing this up,” Crow muttered, tugging on another knot that he had just made. He looked up at the servant with a glare. “Focus on the cords, or so help me, I’m going to strangle you with this one.”

“Fine,” Preston held up his hands in defeat.

The two continued to work in silence as they tied the linens together until they made a length of makeshift rope long enough to reach the window below.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

He'll have to get used to Crow's crazy ideas eventually xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow rolled his eyes when John stated that his plan wouldn’t work. He didn’t see why it shouldn’t. As long as Penelope told the guards that he was the king, they would have no reason to accuse her of lying to them about it. Besides, he had heard his father speak enough times to mimic his voice if the knights tried to question him directly. The only thing that could really give him away was his face, which he could easily hide if he pretended to walk in the opposite direction as the nobles. He was certain he could pull it off.

As Penelope defended his idea, the viceroy gave her hand an appreciative squeeze. Even though he knew his plan was absurd, he was glad that she trusted him enough to go along with it. He laughed softly at her teasing look, recalling a few different times when he had dragged her along with his wild schemes. Looking back on it all, he was impressed she was still willing to go along with his ideas. They were often quite risky—one mistake was all it would take for them to get caught—and usually not fully developed until he was already undertaking them.

“That depends on whether your talking about tonight or indefinitely,” Crow shrugged nonchalantly at John’s warning. “In either case, I can’t make any promises.”

“I hope you know that if you get caught, you’re going back to prison,” the older knight said sternly.

“Then I won’t get caught,” the viceroy grinned confidently. “If all goes well, the guards are going to be so surprised by their ‘king’ showing up out of nowhere that they’ll be too flustered to question how I got there in the first place.”

“That’s quite a gamble to make,” John grumbled.

“Yes, but the odds are good,” Crow asserted. “I never gamble unless I feel confident I’m going to win.”

John held his gaze for a moment longer before looking away with a snort.

Taking his silence as reluctant acceptance, Crow stood up from the bed. “Well, if that’s everything, I’m going back to my room. I’ve got a few things to prepare for later.” He turned to Penelope with a smile. “I’ll see you there, love.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow's feeling pleased with himself cx
I had a feeling he would xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow smirked when Penelope asked what his plan was and opened his mouth to tell her that she’d find out later. He enjoyed making others wait instead of just telling them his ideas right away. Perhaps it was a bit melodramatic, but he found it to be fun. However, before he had the chance to speak, he turned to John as the older knight declared that he wanted to know what his plan was as well. The cold look on his face made the viceroy cringe slightly. It was quite clear that the knight still didn’t trust him to be alone with his daughter after what they had done before.

His eyes flicked to Penelope as she tried to defend him and then returned to her father’s face. “Exactly what she said,” he threw up his hands in an innocent gesture as he answered the older knight’s question. “I just need her help to get rid of the guards in the lower wing, that’s all.”

“And why does she need to come to your room to do that?” John growled.

“Because I’m going to have her go through the window with me.”

“What?” John’s anger was broken with a brief flash of confusion.

“Alright fine,” the viceroy sighed. “If you really must know, I’ll tell you my idea. Just know that you’ve taken all the fun out of it for me.” He leaned back against the wall and folded his arms over his chest. “There are several guards posted in the wing where my room is located, but there aren’t any in the hall by my door. So, even if Penelope is seen on the third floor, no one will see her enter my bed chamber. We can just arrive separately to keep from looking suspicious.”

“Why can’t she just meet you in the other wing?” John’s eyes narrowed again.

“I’ll get there,” Crow waved his hand dismissively. “Anyway, I’m going to fashion a cord with the spare linen sheets I’ve seen in my wardrobe, since I’m guessing you don’t have much climbing experience,” he casted Penelope a shrug. “We can use that to get down to the bed chamber below mine. The windows are easy enough to open, so as long as we’re quiet, we shouldn’t wake whoever is sleeping inside.”

He turned back to John with a grin, “After that, we just have to walk into the hall.”

“In the open?” John stared at him.

“Exactly,” Crow’s grin grew more eager. “Except, they won’t realize who they’re looking at.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it,” the viceroy leaned forward. “I look just like my father, and I even have some of his clothes. If I face my back to the guards, they won’t know the difference—especially if another knight they trust confirms that I’m him.” He winked at Penelope. “All she has to do is tell them that I just finished speaking with one of the noblemen in that wing—hence our appearance from a bed chamber—and that I’ve decided to relocate them all to the treasury to protect my wealth from thieves. As long as they don’t see my face, they’ll have no reason to doubt my identity. All I have to do after that is return the jewelry and climb back up to my room alone. No one will ever know I was gone.”