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Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

No worries xD

Crow wasn't expecting her to get real answers for him cx
He's excited, even though he's trying to be low key

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope’s excitement caught Crow a bit off guard. Of course, he was happy to see her too, but she seemed nearly giddy with joy when their gazes first met across the hall. He wondered why she was in such a good mood. If hadn’t been that long since they had last seen each other, and it wasn’t a surprise that they would be crossing paths before he retired to his bed chamber for the night. Whatever the case, her enthusiasm was infectious, and he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his lips as she looked up at him so happily.

When the knight went on to tell him that her day went well, he was glad to hear it. However, before he had a chance to say so, he was surprised to find out that Tybalt had solutions for his nightmares that might work. He shifted his weight uncomfortably, wanting to believe that she had found something to help him, but skeptical about the possibility. After all, he remembered the “solution” Eldon had given her before. He wasn’t keen to start taking strange medicines or get drunk to stop his dreams. Personal convictions aside, it was too dangerous to try in the middle of the castle. Still, he didn’t want to shut her down so quickly when she was clearly excited about her findings, so he stayed quiet without interrupting.

To his astonishment, Penelope didn’t bring up any of the remedies he had been expecting her to. As she described how her guard captain had used physical training to wear himself out during the day, he considered her words a bit more seriously. He still didn’t know if he believed the trick would work for him since he’d never tried it before, but it was so different from all the other options that it might have been worth a shot. At the very least, it was the first doable suggestion he’d been given in regards to dealing with his nightmares. He could already feel his heartbeat begin to quicken in spite of himself.

As she continued on to tell him about the knights who prayed before they went to bed, Crow nodded, though he doubted such a method would work for him. He’d spent plenty of time praying to the gods when he’d been desperate in the past, but it was hard to tell if they listened to him. Sometimes it seemed to work, such as when he had prayed to the god of hunting in Younis two years ago in order to shoot the archers on the battlement—he was pretty sure that hadn’t just been his doing, since he had only practiced with a bow for a few days prior to the event—but most of the time, his pleas were met with silence. Whenever he’d asked the gods to take the nightmares away before, those prayers had gone ignored too. He didn’t see the point in beating a dead horse.

“It’s… more than I thought you’d find,” Crow shook his head, still in disbelief that she had gotten so much done in just one conversation. He averted his gaze, sheepish to admit his curiosity as he added, “So… what did he say I should do if I still panic? Since I don’t have time to train tonight, I mean.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow will finally have a coping mechanism cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

When Crow arrived at the Great Hall, he habitually stopped to look for Penelope among the crowd. It wasn’t long before he spotted her, and he smiled to himself before taking a step toward her table. However, in the next moment, he wavered, noticing that she was eating her supper with a knight he recognized as Tybalt, the captain of the castle guard. Remembering that she had made plans to eat with the older man in an attempt to get answers about his nightmare, he reluctantly turned away from the two. He was still doubtful that her questioning was going to get her anywhere, but he didn’t want to interrupt them regardless.

Letting his eyes wander over the other faces in the room, he eventually caught sight of Naida eating at a different table. His sister caught his gaze and waved, beckoning him over. Unfortunately, though he would have liked to spend time with her, he wasn’t as fond of her company. He hesitated as his gaze rested on Braden’s back. It had been a while since the last time he’d spoken to his brother, but none of their encounters had been positive so far, so he didn’t really feel like trying to speak with the crown prince again.

Naida didn’t give him much of a choice.

“Hey, Collin!” she called out when he made no moves to join her. “Over here!”

Crow grimaced as her loud voice drew the attention of the other people in the Great Hall. Some of the nobles near her looked up from their conversations to eye him across the room. Not wanting to stand out any more than he already did, he ducked his head slightly and made his way over to the princess. There was no point in avoiding her now, especially since Braden was one of the nobles who was staring at him.

As soon as he was seated at the table, the princess nudged him, “Where have you been lately? I haven’t seen you at breakfast in a while.”

“I’ve just been sleeping in later than usual,” Crow shrugged, feeling a twinge of guilt for lying to his sister so easily. “If you’re ever around in the later morning, we might cross paths.”

“I wish I could,” Naida sighed. “But father always has me working on something or other early in the day. That’s why I get breakfast right away.”

“It’s better than spending time with a peasant,” Braden muttered from across the table, poking irritably at his food.

Crow rolled his eyes without saying anything, but Naida didn’t dismiss his words as easily.

“He’s not a peasant anymore, Braden,” she narrowed her eyes at him. “And besides that, he’s family, so you should stop making such rude comments.”

“I’ll stop when he quits pretending he belongs here,” the prince spat, shooting Crow a hateful glare.

“My mother may have been a peasant, but I share just as much of father’s blood as you do,” Crow quipped, resting his chin calmly in his hand. He wasn’t bothered by the other man’s harshness. Though Braden was his brother, the prince’s opinion meant little to him. As long as he refused to treat him with any respect, the viceroy had every intention of returning the favor.

His remark seemed to get under Braden’s skin. His brother clicked his tongue, “That doesn’t change the fact that you shouldn’t be here. Just do us all a favor and go back to where you came from, village rat.”

“Braden,” Naida hissed warningly.

“No,” the prince turned his glare on her. “Everyone is too scared of father to say something, so I will.” He tilted his chin up at the viceroy. “It was a mistake for father to have brought you here. I don’t know what he was thinking by giving you a title you don’t deserve, but he should have left you, forgotten on the filthy border.” With that, he stood abruptly from the table and stepped away, only glancing back at them once to address his sister, “I’m going to eat in my room, where there’s no stench of street trash to ruin my appetite.”

“Gods,” Naida groaned exaggeratedly as he walked haughtily away from them. She offered Crow an apologetic look. “Sorry. He just found out that you were at father’s last meeting, and he’s been in a foul mood ever since.”

“I can tell,” the viceroy made a face. “That’s the worst his attitude has been since he found out we’re related.”

“He’ll get used to you eventually,” Naida shook her head. “Unfortunately, until he gets it through that thick skull of his that you’re not after the throne, he’s going to keep acting like a child.”

“Lovely,” Crow muttered. He looked up as Preston stopped by to bring him his supper. Once the attendant had walked away again, he returned his focus to his sister, conversing with her while he ate. Of course, he didn’t have much to say to her since, even though they hadn’t crossed paths during breakfast recently, they had talked within the last few days and didn’t have much to tell each other. Naida had been busy with a few guard shifts and some extra training that Albin wanted her to go through, and Crow had spent all his free time on his lessons. By the end of it, they were both in better moods though, having recovered from Braden’s earlier outburst.

Eventually, the light faded from the windows overhead, and Crow began to feel his exhaustion catching up with him once again. He bid a quick farewell to his sister and headed back to the corridor that led to his room for the night. On the way, he yawned tiredly and stretched his arms over his head. His nap had done him some good that evening, but he could tell that its effects were already starting to wear off.

Rounding the corner on the third floor on his way to his bed chamber, the viceroy slowed his walk as he caught sight of Penelope up ahead. His heartbeat picked up of its own accord, and a smile tugged at his lip. Even though he wasn’t thrilled about the fact that she knew how his nightmares had been affecting him, he supposed it was nice to know that she was going to be close by. He liked being able to speak to her privately for a little while every night.

“Hey, love,” he greeted her, casting a quick glance over his shoulder before pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Did you get everything done today that you wanted to?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Preston's persistence is finally starting to pay off cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“Collin.”

Crow startled at the sound of a voice and the feeling of a hand on his arm, opening his eyes to see who was in his bedchamber. He couldn’t remember when he’d fallen asleep, but the open book on his chest indicated that he must have nodded off sometime after he’d started reading. For a second, he felt a sharp wave of fear that Udolf had come back to check on him and had caught him sleeping instead of working. However, his worries were quickly laid to rest when he recognized Preston standing at his bedside. The attendant was watching him with a look that he found difficult to read, but it almost seemed like he was relieved about something.

“Supper is ready,” the boy said softly. He paused for a moment before adding: “But… if you want to keep resting, I can wake you up again later.”

“No,” Crow yawned broadly, stretching his slightly stiff limbs. “I’ll get up.”

“Alright,” Preston dipped his head and stepped away from his bedside to give him room.

Crow set his book aside and sat up on the mattress, blearily rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm. He supposed that, even though he’d tried hard not to let his exhaustion get the best of him, he must have been too tired to keep fighting. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. On one hand, he was worried that he was going to start getting into a habit of passing out during the day when he needed to stay awake. On the other hand, this was the most well-rested he’d felt in days. He might not have slept for long, but without any nightmares to torment him during his nap, he finally had a bit of energy again. He’d nearly forgotten how good it felt to wake up so refreshed.

Climbing down from his bed, the viceroy bent over to put on his boots in preparation to leave for the Great Hall. In addition to feeling more energetic than usual, his appetite was returning to its normal strength as well. His stomach growled in anticipation of the delicious food the castle servants had cooked today, and he swallowed as his mouth began to water at the thought of spiced venison, vegetables, and whatever else Preston could fit on his plate.

Crow was so caught up in his imaginings that he didn’t realize the attendant was still watching him until he stood upright again. He casted the boy an estranged look, “What is it this time?”

“Well,” Preston hurriedly averted his gaze, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. “I noticed this morning… It seems you’ve told Penelope about what’s going on with you lately. At least, that’s what it sounded like when she was talking to you…”

Crow hesitated for a moment and then shrugged, “If you’re trying to say I should tell you too, it’s not going to work. I did tell her, but only after she pestered me about it for a whole day.”

“I could do that too,” the attendant said bluntly.

“You’d better not,” the viceroy snorted.

“I don’t understand why you’re being so secretive about this,” Preston sighed, folding his arms over his chest with a frown. “I only want to be part of it so I can help you. If you’d just tell me, I wouldn’t have to spend each morning wondering what kind of state I’m going to find you in when I get to your room.”

Crow paused again at that, pursing his lips in thought. He despised the idea of telling anyone else why he was having nightmares, but he supposed the boy did have a point. Whether he liked it or not, it was Preston’s job to tend to him throughout the day. The servant had to be feeling stressed when his master was facing some sort of trouble that he didn’t understand.

“I’ll think about it,” he muttered, slipping his book into his tunic pocket and turning toward the door. Noticing the attendant perk up, he rolled his eyes. “Don’t get your hopes up, kid. That wasn’t a yes.”

“But it wasn’t a no either,” Preston pointed out, tagging along at his heel. “I promise, if you’re willing to share it with me, I won’t let you down.”

“I know,” Crow exhaled. “It’s just not something that’s easy for me to talk about in the first place.”

“I understand,” the attendant nodded. “For now, you just think about what you want for supper, so I can bring it to you. We can talk about it later.”

“I still haven’t said yes,” Crow reminded him, although he couldn’t help the amused smirk that tugged at his lip. Though the boy was nosy, there was something about his persistence that the viceroy found droll.

Preston just shrugged in response as they headed into the corridor, making their way to the Great Hall for dinner.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Oh no xD
They're both just gonna be exhausted soon

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

When Crow got back to his bedchamber, he was relieved to see that it was Udolf who was waiting for him inside. His father may have been planning to rush his education, but at least he wasn’t starting today. He hoped that meant Penelope would have a full month to make her preparations. If the old man was still teaching him written Missenar, that probably meant Albin didn’t think he was ready to begin learning about Gorman writing… didn’t it? A ripple of doubt passed through his mind as he entertained the possibility that the king had just been too busy to take over his lesson today.

He could be making preparations of his own to send me to Gorm, he thought with a wince. From the little he knew of his father, he could tell that the man wasn’t one to sit back and twiddle his thumbs when there was work to be done. It was likely that the king was already doing whatever he needed to arrange the trip for his son. After all, he’d said he would give him a month at the most. Surely if he could send his ambassador sooner, he was going to do so. Crow shivered at the possibility that he could still leave the castle before Penelope finished gathering support. For her sake, he needed to stall as much as he could.

“Good, you’re here,” Udolf grunted with a gesture toward the table by the window. “Sit. We have much to cover today.”

“More writing?” Crow ventured, complying with the tutor’s instructions by plopping himself down somewhat ungracefully in the cushioned seat. He might have tried to move with a little more grace, but with the turmoil in his head and the weariness in his body, he didn’t feel like putting in the effort today. He just hoped the old man wouldn’t see his uncouth behavior as a reason to make him practice his etiquette again.

“Yes,” Udolf answered curtly. “And I have another book for you to beginning reading through when we’re done with the lesson.”

Great, the viceroy groaned inwardly. He was having a hard enough time staying awake as it was. If he tried to focus on reading a book until supper, he felt certain it was going to be nearly impossible for him not to nod off. “Alright,” he said, refusing to give away his frustration to the old man. “What will I be writing today?”

“I have a few paragraphs for you to copy,” the tutor responded, unraveling a scroll on the table for his student to look at. “Pay close attention to the spelling of the words, and try to see how the sentences follow the grammatical rules I’ve been teaching you. When you’re finished with that, I’ll have you compose some writing of your own, so you can begin to practice following the rules without the help of looking at them first.”

“Okay,” Crow nodded, though his head already felt like it was swimming from the information he’d been given. He could tell his lack of sleep was catching up to him, and he hoped it wouldn’t affect his performance too noticeably. I’ll be fine, he thought stubbornly, picking up the quill on the table and dipping the tip into the inkwell. It’s just one lesson. I can do it.

With renewed determination, the viceroy read through the paragraphs Udolf had given him and began to carefully copy them down on a blank piece of parchment.

--

The writing lesson took most of the day, and by the end of it, Crow felt tempted to lay his head down on the table and sleep where he was. However, despite his exhaustion, it seemed that he had done fairly well. Udolf was pleased, even though it had taken him more times than he was proud of to successfully compose his own sentences without any grammatical errors. The tutor had made him repeat the exercise until he managed to write an entire two paragraphs perfectly, and he was relieved when he was finally given permission to read the new book he’d been given.

Unfortunately, when Udolf handed the book over, Crow saw right away that it was going to be difficult to go through it without falling asleep. It was titled “The History of Missenia” and was apparently about the kingdom that had once been the foundation of Brerra and Younis before they had split into two separate entities. The tutor explained that he believed the book would kill two birds with one stone by helping him advance his reading comprehension and educate him about Brerra’s history at the same time.

Crow didn’t see why it was important to learn about a land that no longer existed but, not wanting to receive another lecture about the importance of history, he kept his mouth shut.

The viceroy settled down on his bed to read the dull book, expecting Udolf to sit at the table as he always seemed to do lately. Instead, the tutor surprised him by gathering his things and heading for the door.

Curious, the viceroy rested the book on his chest and watched the old man walk away. “You’re not staying this time?” he asked and then bit his tongue. If Udolf had simply forgotten to stay in the room with him, he didn’t want to remind him, but it was too late to take the question back now.

“I have other matters to attend to this evening,” the tutor replied vaguely, turning back to meet his student’s gaze. “If you really think you need a babysitter, I’m willing to watch you though.”

Crow rolled his eyes, “I’m perfectly capable of reading on my own.”

“Then I’ll leave you to it,” Udolf nodded. He paused for a moment before speaking up again, “Just so you’re aware, the king will be guiding your lesson tomorrow, so you’ll need to go to his chamber in the afternoon.”

Crow froze. So, his father wasn’t prolonging his studies after all. “He thinks I’m ready to move on already?” he queried tentatively, casting the old man a frown. “It took me hours just to write a couple paragraphs in Missenar without making any mistakes. I hardly think I’m prepared to start writing a second language.”

“I don’t know what the king has planned for you,” Udolf’s voice sounded mildly impatient. He was probably getting tired of answering the viceroy’s questions. “Just try not to be late.” With that, he turned and headed out of the room, leaving his student behind to finish his lesson on his own.

As soon as the door shut, Crow let out his breath in a sigh and picked up his book again. If his father was trying to push him to get ready for the trip to Gorm faster, there was nothing he could do to stop him. So, deciding there was no point in getting worked up about it, he tried to focus instead on reading about Missenia, hoping the distraction would ease his worries about the looming date of his departure.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

At least she can rest easy knowing that Penelope is aware they're siblings cx
She might just have a harder time trying to get other people to support her match making, since the other nobles think she's with Crow lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As he continued to eat his breakfast, Crow fought the urge to yawn. It seemed like he was getting more tired with each passing day lately. As long as his nightmare continued to plague him every night, he doubted he could go many more days without passing out from exhaustion. After all, the same thing had happened to him the first time he’d dealt with the incessant dreams. It had been the only restful sleep he’d gotten during the difficult season. He shook his head at the thought. Back then, it had been risky enough for him to fall asleep in the middle of the day, but there was even more at stake while he was living in the castle. He couldn’t let himself give in.

I just have to make it until father lets me have a break, he thought, trying to reassure himself. Surely he could manage that much. Whenever Albin decided to give him a day off from lessons, he could nap to his heart’s content and hopefully be well rested enough to last another while.

Crow lightly bit his tongue, stifling another yawn. Unfortunately, it was easier said than done. It wasn’t even afternoon, yet he could already feel his exhaustion creeping over him from so many poor nights of sleep in a row. He hoped his lethargy wouldn’t impact his lesson with his tutor—whomever that tutor might be—once he finished his breakfast. If he started “slacking off” again, he would pretty much guarantee that his father wouldn’t let him take a break; and if he couldn’t take a break, he was just going to be more tired still. It was a vicious cycle he wanted to avoid if he could.

The viceroy nearly thought he’d succeeded in reigning in his weariness when Penelope suddenly yawned beside him. The contagiousness of it drew out the yawn he’d been trying so hard to suppress, and he brought a hand to his mouth in a vain attempt to hide it, mentally chiding himself for slipping. “See you later,” he murmured, glancing up briefly to meet her gaze before turning away again as he sipped somberly at his drink.

Just as he was about to return his focus to his meal, Cedric spoke up, making him stiffen involuntarily. He fought the impulse to glare at the other man as he announced that he wanted to walk Penelope to the door. Assuming the knight was just trying to squeeze in some time alone with her, he was nearly tempted to force his presence on them too. However, he knew quite well how possessive he would come off if he tried, so he restrained himself, merely dipping his head in an even tempered fashion as the two walked off together.

Of course, he didn’t bother to contain a hostile expression once Cedric turned his back to him though.

Alone at the table, Crow finished off the rest of his plate—though his appetite had come back, he still had to eat slower than usual to keep from upsetting his sensitive stomach—and got up to head back to his bed chamber. Regardless of who his tutor was going to be that day, no one had shown up to the Great Hall to fetch him, so he assumed they expected to meet with him in his room.

So that rules out John, he decided, admittedly relieved that he wouldn’t have to spar with Penelope’s father again so soon. The ache of his bruises was still fresh, so he wanted some more time to recover from their last round before he attempted to face the older knight a second time.

With that thought in mind, the viceroy made his way to the corridor that led to the stairs, apprehensive to find out if he was going to be taught by Udolf or Albin that afternoon.