Crow Lockton, the most infamous thief in the Kingdom of Brerra, rolled over on the hard stone mattress of his prison bed.

It had been one year to the day since his public trial and condemnation to life in prison, and the weight of his misfortune was bearing down on him more relentlessly than usual. He didn’t even bother stifling the obnoxious rattle of the chains around his wrists and ankles when he moved. Before, he had amused himself in his cold, gray cell by practicing his stealth, but now, what was the point? Every escape attempt he had made had failed. There were simply too many guards, too many routine body searches, and too many other prisoners who were willing to scream for the knights if they caught him outside of his pen. Now that he had made the damning notch in the wall that marked the anniversary of his confinement, he was beginning to lose hope that he would ever see the outside world again.

He rolled onto his back to stare dully up at the ceiling. Even if he wanted to try to get out again, he wasn’t sure he if had the strength anymore. The time he’d spent in prison had taken a drastic toll on his body. Once upon a time, he’d been fit and muscular, able to carry out all the physical feats it took to be a successful thief. He could scale the side of a building with ease and outrun the fastest bounty hunters in the woods. There wasn’t a mirror in his cell, but he didn’t need one to know that he’d turned into a ghost of his former self. His limbs had atrophied from malnutrition, and his skin hadn’t been touched by the sun since he’d been carted away from his trial in the palace courtyard.

The only aspect of his appearance that he’d been able to keep up was his hair. He didn’t have any belongings in the rock and metal cage—at least, none that anyone else knew about—but the guards had allowed him to borrow a copper razor on occasion to shave off his beard and trim his hair when it started to reach past his shoulders. They weren’t afraid that he would use the tiny blade as a weapon since he had never demonstrated even a hint of violence before or after his arrest. He sometimes wondered if they hoped he would use it on himself though. It would have freed up the cell for another, less infuriating prisoner to use.

His pale green eyes drifted toward the corridor beyond the bars as the dim glow of a lantern caught his attention. He really didn’t want to see the guards today. Throughout his time in captivity, they had poked fun at him on their daily rounds, and he dreaded to think what they would say now that the ‘master escape artist’ had been locked up for an entire year. Rolling over to face the wall again, he closed his eyes in the hopes that they would go away if they thought he was asleep.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t so lucky.

The jingling of keys followed by a loud grating sound echoed off the impenetrable walls as the door to his cell slid open. Two guards stepped inside with irritable looks on their faces, and Crow sat up on his bed. It wasn’t often that the knights entered the quarters of the convicts. About twice a month, they would force the prisoners to stand against the wall with their hands on their heads while they cleaned out the accumulated mess in each pen; and once every other month, they would allow the criminals access to a water pump, so they wouldn’t get sores from sitting in their own filth for too long. However, his cell had been cleaned less than a week ago, and he’d bathed almost as recently. He wondered what other reason the guards could have for entering his domain now.

In answer to his unspoken question, the guard on the left, a burly man with more musculature than the thief had ever hoped to don, spoke stiffly: “Get up, Lockton. Your presence has been requested.”

For a moment, Crow just stared at him. The announcement was so absurdly out of place that it felt like a dream. He didn’t know anyone who had the authority to order his release from prison, temporary or otherwise. Concerned that he was finally losing his mind, he eyed the knight challengingly without moving. “Oh? I didn’t know I had admirers in such high places. Who shall I thank for this opportunity to see daylight again?”

That was the wrong answer. A muscle in the guard’s beefy neck jumped, and he ground his teeth in vexation. “It doesn’t matter,” he spat. “Get over here now, thief.”

Crow cocked his chin, unamused with the guard’s response. In addition to his reputation as a thief, he had also been known for his strong will and, unfortunately for the knight, had decided to invoke his wanton power now. “No,” he said flippantly, laying down again to face the wall.

“No?” the guard echoed, taken aback. “What do you mean ‘no’?”

“I mean,” Crow drawled, apathetically fingering the chain around his left wrist. “I’m not moving until you tell me the name of the person who wishes to see me.” He was fairly certain this wasn’t a dream, but the realization that this moment was actually happening only swelled his curiosity. Whoever had requested to speak with him would have had to have quite a bit of influence on the king. He couldn’t help but wonder who he knew that had that level of sway, and he wasn’t going to put one foot on the floor until he heard said individual’s name.

“Son of a—” the guard took a step toward the thief, but his companion stopped him.

“We’re under orders, remember?” the second guard, a leaner version of the first, whispered. “We can’t hurt him.” More sensible than his brawny comrade, he turned to the bullheaded criminal. “Your presence has been requested by the King of Brerra.”

“See? That wasn’t so hard,” Crow said casually, trying to hide his surprise. The king wanted to see him? He had been imprisoned for attempting to steal the king’s crown one year ago. The man loathed him. The only reason he hadn’t ordered his execution was because he believed the thief would suffer more by rotting in a cell. He couldn’t imagine what could be so important that the king himself would choose to bring him back out of confinement.

Eager to find out what was going on, he climbed down from his bed and shuffled over to the guards so they could free him from the cuffs that bound his ankles. In actuality, he could have easily unlocked the metal restraint on his own with a pick lock key he’d managed to keep hidden in the sole of his right boot, but there was no sense in giving away that little secret, so he waited for the knights to do the job for him.

Once the chains were removed, he followed them out of his cage and into the dark corridor beyond. Pointlessly, the knights fell in step on either side of him as if they expected him to suddenly bolt for the exit, but he ignored their tenseness. They had no reason to worry. He’d learned from experience that he couldn’t escape while he was still within the confines of the prison. If he took so much as one brisk step away from his surly escorts, the other nearby guards would fall on him like a pack of wolves. He didn’t feel like being tackled by armored men today.

Eventually, the trio came to the doors that led out of the building, and Crow felt his heartbeat quicken with excitement. Freedom was so close, he could almost reach out and grasp it. He couldn’t wait to see what had become of the kingdom while he’d been locked up. However, as soon as the knights pushed open the doors, his enthusiasm was replaced with a sharp wave of pain. After spending so long in complete darkness, the sun was blinding. He cursed loudly and shielded his eyes against the light, but the other men didn’t give him a chance to adjust. Snickering unsympathetically, they wrenched his hands away from his face and dragged him forcefully along the road.

Naturally, the thief didn’t take kindly to the ignominious treatment. Tears streaming, he gritted his teeth and dug his heels into the ground to make their task as difficult as he possibly could. The plan backfired though, as the guards then proceeded to pick him up by either arm and carry him in a completely degrading manner.

“Alright, alright,” Crow protested, squirming against their iron grips. “Put me down! I can walk on my own.”

“Stop fighting with us, or I swear, I will personally carry you into the palace,” the beefy guard growled as they set him down again.

Crow shot him a venomous look and sniffed as he rubbed the water from his squinted eyes.

After a while of walking through the crowded streets of the citadel, in which the thief earned a number of quizzical looks from noblemen and women who were surprised to see him out of his cell, the three arrived at the castle. The guards led him through the long hallways, and he looked over his surroundings with intrigue. The last time he’d been inside the palace, it had been the middle of the night. In the light of what he guessed was the morning—he’d been imprisoned for so long, his sense of time was in shambles—the decorative precious metal accents seemed to glitter of their own accord. If they hadn’t been mounted so high up the wall, he would have pondered how to pry them off the stone. Silver and gold fetched a high price no matter where one sold them in the kingdom.

The king’s council chamber, their final destination, was just as ornate. Crow’s gaze was fixed on a particularly pretty vase on the long table that was inlaid with rubies before he turned to the monarch. His Majesty himself stood by one of the windows, looking out over his kingdom. It was difficult to tell what was on his mind, but the thief doubted he was thinking about the citizens. The king was known throughout Brerra for his greed and mistreatment of the peasants who lived on the outskirts of society. As one such individual, Crow had seen the effects of his abuse firsthand, and he believed his ruler was an even more avaricious criminal than he was.

He held his head high when the man finally turned toward them. Though he was rail thin, and his bedraggled clothes hung loosely off his skinny frame, Crow still had a commanding height when he stood up straight. At the moment, it was the only quality he could assert as his king stared down his nose at him and then wrinkled it as if he had stepped in something foul. The look on the monarch’s face told him that he was still just as hated as before.

“Your Highness,” the guards said in unison, bowing deeply to their rule. The muscular one elbowed Crow harshly in the ribs when he failed to do the same. He winced and dipped his head in grudging compliance, but his short-lived acquiescence disappeared the instant he opened his mouth.

“What do you want?” he asked belligerently, earning an icy glare from the guards for his blatant lack of respect for their ruler.

The king ignored his obstinate tone. “I have a task for you,” he replied, striding away from the window with the grace and poise of his elevated status.

Crow was unimpressed with the display. “Lovely,” he said with a false note of cheerfulness. “What would you like me to do? Steal some bread from the poor? Or perhaps you’d like me to fetch a brooch for your mistress?” If it was possible, the guards looked even more taken aback by his treasonous words. The thief didn’t care what they thought though. He despised the man wearing the gilded crown he’d once tried to purloin. Any opportunity he had to demonstrate his animosity wouldn’t be missed.

“You would be wise to hold your tongue,” the king said sharply, delighting Crow with the revelation that his disrespectful words had gotten under his skin. “Do not misunderstand. I do not require your abilities to complete this task. You’re merely a tool to make the job easier, and I can find another thief if you’re not willing to cooperate with me.”

“But you still requested me specifically,” Crow pointed out blandly.

“Yes,” the king growled. “As much as I hate to admit it, your skills are… hard to come by, and the object I need is not easily accessible.”

“Why thank you,” Crow smirked, enjoying the way his ruler squirmed when volunteering praise for a criminal. “What is it you need me to steal?”

“I will have you go to Younis and take their king’s staff. For generations, it has been a symbol of divine right to our neighboring kingdom. The people believe that only a man who has been hand-picked by their matron goddess is able to hold it. This man is in turn made to be their leader. If I can get my hands on it, I can annex Younis without a war.”

“But,” Crow objected. “What if they’re right and only the rightful king can touch the staff?”

“Then I only lose one worthless thief,” the king lifted his shoulders. “I can still take over Younis by force if need be”

“Wonderful,” Crow muttered, liking the task less and less. He knew most of the members of nobility didn’t believe in the power of the gods, but religion and superstition were deeply ingrained in the culture he’d grown up around. If there was a legend stating that the foreign ruler’s staff was cursed, he didn’t appreciate his odds.

Even worse, it seemed the king wasn’t done yet.

“I have assigned a group of knights to accompany you on your journey,” he went on. “After all, I can’t risk giving the most infuriating thief in the kingdom an opportunity to escape, can I?” He gestured with a wave of his hand at a small table in the back of the room, where three knights were seated patiently. They had been so quiet that Crow hadn’t noticed them until now. There were two men and one woman.

The king was visibly pleased with his look of disappointment. “These three will go with you to Younis.”

Penelope walked down the long corridor of the castle, bubbling with both nervousness and excitement. Today would be the first day of her mission for the king and it was a rather important one at that. Her gaze flickered between the two knights accompanying her, both men but of varying skill. The one that lead them down the hallway, William, was an older knight with plenty of experience and a foul temper. He wasn't the best of company in her opinion but he was reliable. And he was the reason she had gotten this job in the first place so she supposed she owed him a bit more credit.

The other was Abraxas. He was a couple years younger than herself and honestly she believed the boy to be a bit of an airhead. However, he was a trustworthy swordsman and training to become the next viceroy. Despite his inexperience and obliviousness, he was an obvious choice for the mission ahead. Especially since it would require them to cross into a neighboring kingdom.

However, her comrades for this mission would not just be the two male knights.

"I can't believe the king is going to let that criminal out for a mission like this..." William growled under his breath as they neared the council room.

"Well... He's certainly know for... his talents. Ones knights wouldn't have or probably be able to recreate." Abraxas pointed out quietly.

Penelope nodded her head in absent-minded agreement as her mind wandered to the person that would soon be joining them. The fourth person on this mission would be none other than the well known thief, Crow Lockton. She had never seen or chased after him herself so she wasn't sure what to expect from the criminal. Honestly, she barely had any experience in dealing with any criminals, let alone one who was quite well known amongst most the kingdom. The female knight wasn't quite sure how she should approach handling and guarding him, especially since they'd likely be stuck together for quite a while on this mission. She worked as a castle guard, not a prison guard.

Her gaze flickered over to William, who grunted in acknowledgement of Abraxas' words. Out of the three, he was the one with the most experience. His foul temper aside, Penelope figured it'd likely be best for her to follow his lead as well as putting to use what she knew about guarding and prisoners. Surely it wouldn't be too difficult.

The three reached the council room and stepped inside. The king turned his head from a conversation with one of the guards as the three knights stepped in, each bowing deeply to their ruler. He gave them a small nod of acknowledgement and then gestured to the table at the back of the room.

"Good timing.. The thief will be joining you all shortly so please, have a seat until then. I still need to explain what's going on to that criminal." the king mused calmly.

"Of course your majesty." Abraxas nodded.

William wrinkled his nose slightly at the mention of the thief before nodding as well and moving to take a seat at the table. Penelope trotted after him and Abraxas, taking the seat at one end. A silence fell between the knights, one that felt unsettling to Penelope but didn't seem to phase the others. Nothing broke the silence until the door opened and in came the prison guards with the long awaited thief.

Curious, she studied him. He was thin and rugged, no doubt due to his time in prison, and immediately he showed his lack of respect for the king. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed William visibly tensen with anger. Her gaze narrowed at the infamous thief and held her head a little higher. She supposed his disrespectful words towards the king should have bother her more but she was more annoyed with how cocky he seemed saying such words to the ruler of their kingdom.

As the thief finally took notice of them, she regarded him with a stern, icy gaze. She may not have the experience of William, but she didn't want the thief to know that. In fact, she wanted to appear as stern a figure as the older knight. Perhaps it would encourage for less problems on the trip. Especially when it was such an important mission.

She gracefully rose to her feet, followed by the two men, and approached the king and Crow. She stopped and bowed to the king, "We're pleased to be able to help in such an important task." she said respectfully to the king and meaning it. Despite her personal opinion of the king and his choices, she was glad for the opportunity to help prevent a war. A war that could put her loved ones at risk if it occurred.

"Yes... It's a shame, though... To be forced to put up with such a vile thing." grumbled William. He glared hostilely at Crow. The old man had a temper worse than her own and with much less restraint. If any rash decisions were made, it would likely be by him.

Crow looked over the knights individually. The eldest was a man who looked to be in his late forties. He had shoulder-length brown hair that was well-maintained, even for a nobleman. His face was dour and his jaw was tight. The female knight was just as harsh looking. Her light brown hair was pinned back in a pristine bun and her jade green eyes were piercing. Even though she looked to be about the same age as him, her sternness gave her the appearance of a more mature woman. The youngest knight, however, seemed to be a bit out of place among his older companions. He had an absent look about him, with sandy, unkempt hair. If he hadn’t been wearing the same armor as the others, the thief would have thought the boy to be a poet or a wandering artist.

As the trio stood and walked over to stand beside their king, Crow kept his eyes fixed on them untrustingly. He had never had a good experience with a knight before, given the types of interactions he’d had with their kind in the past. When he’d been a free man, they had always hunted him with weapons drawn and hateful words on their lips. When he’d been a prisoner, they had shoved him around and spat in his cell. He loathed the thought of spending any length of time in the company of a whole group of them, and it looked like they weren’t any more excited about acting as his new guards. The older two gazed upon him with disgust, as if he was a bug they wanted to squash, while the youngest studied him with interest. He could already tell he was going to have to assert himself if he didn’t want to be trodden under their boots.

While the two older knights addressed their king, the thief scrutinized them in his head. The woman had the sense to at least pretend like she was happy to be there, but her companion wasn’t nearly as congenial. The man’s spiteful words plucked at Crow’s temper, and for a fleeting moment, he narrowed his eyes. As he’d suspected, his unwanted guards were going to be just as terrible as the men who’d overseen him in prison.

Returning to his apathetic mien, he raised one of his bound hands to garner the monarch’s attention. “I agree completely,” he chimed in. “Your Majesty, how can you expect me to work with these awful people? I suggest you keep them, and I’ll go ahead by myself.” Without waiting for a reply, he spun around on his heel to leave, but the lean guard grabbed hold of his chains before he could take two steps.

“Nice try,” the king snorted. “They’re coming with you whether you like it or not, thief. And William,” he turned to the oldest knight. “You only have to put up with him for two weeks. Please, try not to kill him in that span of time.”

Crow stiffened. He didn’t like the idea of traveling with the knights because he wasn’t fond of the way they treated him. He hadn’t even considered the possibility that they would use their swords to put him in his place. “Kill?” he squawked, too agitated to keep his qualms to himself. “Your Majesty, please! These people are dangerous. Let me go by myself.”

“Make sure he behaves himself,” the king went on to the knights, ignoring his outburst. He signaled to the lean guard to remove the thief’s chains so he could move freely. “Your supply wagon should be ready for you outside. You may depart immediately.”

Penelope glanced over at William as the older knight made a sour comment about the thief. She gave a barely noticeable nod of agreement, keen on following his lead when it came to dealing with the thief. And she was beginning to understand why William behaved so coldly. The female knight narrowed her eyes on Crow as he suddenly voiced his own displeasure with the situation before quickly turning to leave. It made her tense up for a moment but the prison guard put a halt to the thief’s antics.

As the king advised William against killing the thief, her eyebrow raised slightly in faint amusement. She supposed that was a fair warning to give the older knight. As reliable and capable as he was, she knew that both his pride and temper could outweigh everything else. Not to mention Crow’s history already spoke volumes. She trusted that the king’s warning would keep William’s fiery temper at bay though.

Following her king’s lead in ignoring the thief’s protest, the knight took in every word with a serious demeanor. This mission meant a lot to the knight personally and she was eager to see it through. ”We'll take our leave right away then." Penelope said with a small dip of her head before turning on her heels. She took the lead in heading towards the exit of the throne room as the others fell in behind her. William, being hostile, shoved Crow in front of him. The sound of motion behind her cause Penelope to cast a quick glance over her shoulder, noting the distrustful look in William’s eyes. He clearly didn't want to leave the thief in the back for any possible chance of escape. He wanted him where he could keep a close eye on him.

Trusting her comrade, she turned her focus back ahead. Once out of the room, Penelope’s shoulders relaxed slightly now that she was no longer in the face of royalty. As a knight, she was well versed in how to go about speaking with king or any of the royal family. Now that they were beyond his gaze, her tongue grew a bit loser. Still a bit curious about the thief that would be a large part in their mission, she casted a narrowed eyed glance at him. ”You should consider yourself lucky to even see daylight again. Be more considerate of the chance you have been given." she said with a stern gaze. He’s reluctance to cooperate wasn’t appreciated by the knight that had so much to lose if they didn’t follow through with their mission.

“Pfft. Lucky is an understatement." grumbled William before the thief had the chance to respond. "The King is a man whom I respect greatly but I have to question his common sense because of this. Sending some worthless thief to do the same work one of us could do and with much less trouble!”

The knight shrugged her shoulders at the older knight’s complaints. "Leave the petty jobs to petty people, Pewter." Penelope responded in a very level headed manner. "It would be degrading to give a knight such a dishonorable task.” She saw no sense in getting worked up about a task that was meant for a criminal rather than a knight. Though she did believe her fellow knights were capable, she wasn’t dull enough to completely dismiss the experience the thief had. It was best for the criminal to act like one in this case.

Looking out of one of the castle windows they passed by, Penelope located the supplies and horses that stood there, waiting their arrival. Two horses and a horse drawn-wagon that carried the majority of their supplies. From what she saw it seemed that they were well prepared for this trip. She picked up her pace slightly, eager for their journey to begin.

Crow stared down at his bare hands with a dazed expression. In prison, he had slipped out of his chains on a few separate occasions when the guards weren’t looking in his direction, but he’d always fumbled to clip them back on before anyone realized he was loose. This was the first time someone else had been ordered to release him. He rubbed his chafed wrists, as if he couldn’t believe there was nothing binding his hands together anymore. However, he didn’t have much time to revel over his newly granted freedom. Almost as soon as the restraints were gone, the oldest knight, William, shoved him unceremoniously between the shoulder blades to force him to walk where he would be fully visible.

Coming back to himself, the thief slipped out of William’s grasp and shot him an indignant scowl. “I know where I’m going, thank you very much,” he huffed and then proceeded to walk just beyond the other man’s reach, so he couldn’t attempt to herd him again. Between being pushed, grabbed and carried by all of his guards, he’d had quite enough manhandling for one day. But, of course, the knights couldn’t leave him alone just yet.

When the woman chided him for being ungrateful, Crow tossed his head, affronted. “I would have gotten out on my own eventually,” he bluffed. “The king just happened to beat me to it.” The statement was a boldfaced lie, and he knew it. He had made plenty of escape attempts, but the prison guards had bested him each and every time. If he had a way to properly prepare, he was sure he could have made it out, but unfortunately, it was impossible to come up with a foolproof plan when he couldn’t case the building from inside his cell and the guards changed their routines every week.

Naturally, William had to pour salt on his open wound. At his declaration that a knight could do the work he’d spent his entire life perfecting, Crow curled his lip, insulted. “My profession is much more difficult than you think,” he growled vainly. “It takes talent to scale a castle wall without getting caught or pick a ten-pin lock in just seconds.” No one bothered to do him the courtesy of responding though. He doubted they were even listening to him.

It was the female knight’s last remark that sealed the final nail in the coffin. “Alright,” the thief narrowed his eyes at the two nobles. “Now you’re just being rude. I’m beginning to rethink my decision of letting you come with me.”

As the king had said, the horses and supplies were already prepared for them in the courtyard of the palace. It seemed their ruler had spared no expense too. The wooden caravan was large enough to fit about five or six people comfortably when empty. There were four posts holding up a canopy for the top, with curtains that could be drawn to cover its open sides for complete privacy. The best parts to Crow, however, were the piles of large, burlap sacks, filled with supplies that had been stocked for them.

He immediately trotted over to the side of the wagon, curious to find out what was bundling inside those enticing bags. However, before he even had a chance to peer over the edge, he felt a hand grasp him by the back of his tunic. Turning around in annoyance, he was unsurprised to see William standing over him again. “Watch it,” he pushed the knight’s hand away. “This is the only shirt I have, and you’re going to rip it.”

“Don’t you even think about stealing our supplies, thief,” the older man ignored his complaint, shoving him against the side of the cart.

“Who, me?” Crow pressed a hand to his chest, his eyes wide with feigned shock. “I would never do that!” As he spoke, he smoothly reached behind his back with his other hand to snag a loose piece of bread from a sack on the edge of the wagon. Stuffing the food into his trouser pocket, he added for good measure: “How could you even accuse me of such a thing?”

William didn’t humor him. “Turn out you pockets,” the knight ordered without hesitation.

“Oh, come now,” Crow rolled his eyes. “Friendship is based on trust. Are you really going to—”

“I said,” the older man interrupted icily. “Turn out your pockets.”

“Fine,” Crow grumbled in defeat, handing over the stolen piece of bread. William replaced it with the rest of the food stock, and the thief smirked at the back of his head. The knight was slightly more observant than he’d been expecting, but he was clearly a novice at handling a swindler such as himself. He had broken the bread with his fingers, only returning half while he kept a portion for himself. The trick never would have worked with his old prison guards—the men would always personally reach into his pockets to make sure he wasn’t hiding anything—but this knight had taken the decoy without question. If the rest of his keepers were this oblivious, escaping from them later would be child’s play.

He leaned against the side of the wagon with his arms folded loosely across his chest as William took charge of the group.

“Abraxas, you will ride in the wagon with the thief. Make sure he doesn’t attempt to touch any more of our rations,” the knight commanded, casting Crow an irritable look before he turned to the woman. “Penelope, you and I will ride up front and keep watch along the road.”

This was too good. The youngest knight, Abraxas, seemed to be the least vigilant among his three guards and was therefore the one the thief most preferred to watch him. He clapped his hands together gleefully. “Alright, let’s more out then. We’re losing daylight.” Climbing nimbly into the back of the cart, he leaned out over the side as he waited for the others to take up their own positions.

Penelope eyed her comrade. William was a good knight but she disagreed with his decision to make Abraxas the one to keep an eye on Crow. The younger knight had yet to completely prove himself and Penelope didn't feel like taking such chances with this mission. The thief should not be given the opportunity to steal or escape. "Abraxas, switch positions with me." she said casually, knowing that he wouldn't argue with her. With a simple nod of the head, the younger knight backed away from the wagon and moved towards the horse besides William. William shot her a look, as if to not degrade his authority but did not testify to the change so Penelope easily went about her business. Penelope climbed into the wagon swiftly. With everyone set and read, William took the lead. "Let's move out." he announced, as he rode in front of the wagon. The wagon was then tugged forward and set off at a rather slow pace until the wheels began to move with more ease. Penelope glanced over at Crow with a sharp gaze before looking out at the road ahead. However, she always kept him in the corner of her gaze, cautious of any movements he made. The great gates that protected the castle rattled and raised as they left. Once outside one could see clear distinctions in the surrounding area. The town in the distance seemed much less vibrant than the castle and everything behind those great walls that protected it. "It's been a while since I've left the castle walls." Penelope mumbled to no one in particular. She earned a small nod from an otherwise uninterested William and Abraxas didn't seem to hear her. Perhaps he was spacing off?

Unfortunately for Crow, the woman, whom he had just learned was named Penelope, also seemed to have realized that Abraxas wasn’t the most reliable guard among them. He clicked his tongue in disappointment as she told her comrade to switch places with her and took up his position in the wagon. She was turning out to be more of a pest than he’d expected. It was still within his capabilities to get away from this group of jesters, but with a more vigilant guard at his side, he would now have to be clever about it.

At the front of the cart, William didn’t seem happy about the change either, but Crow guessed he was more concerned about his authority being challenged than he was about the actual switch. The older man looked like the type to expect everyone to show him their utmost respect whether he deserved it or not. The thief had a feeling they were going to butt heads quite a bit on this mission, since he was the type that refused to stroke anyone’s ego but his own.

Once everyone was in place, the cart lurched forward along the road, the wheels rolling slowly until they gained momentum. In the back, Crow made himself right at home. He found a comfortable place to sit where he could lean back against a soft pile of folded blankets with his legs stretched languidly in front of him. He could already feel excitement bubbling up inside his chest, though he did his best to hide it. The king had practically handed him back his freedom on a silver platter. If the monarch thought he would actually go to some foreign kingdom and do some lowly job for which he’d receive no credit, he was dreaming. He was going to take the first opportunity to escape back to his home in the outer villages.

As they approached the main gates of the citadel, he looked out the side window to watch the sentry signal for the looming barrier to be opened. It was the first time he’d been granted access in or out of the inner kingdom, and it made him feel important. He knew he wouldn’t have gotten the same treatment if he’d been traveling on his own, but it was still nice to pretend. Plus, the enthusiasm he felt about leaving the castle was real. Once they passed through the opening, they would be on their way to the neighboring kingdom in the north, and with it, the peasant villages that laid directly south of that border. He smiled to himself, continuing to stare out the window so Penelope wouldn’t see his expression. It was only a matter of time before he was free again.

Continuing on down the paved road, it didn’t take long before Crow grew bored of watching the towns roll slowly by. He sat with his cheek pressed wearily against the wooden frame, his pastel eyes shifting from the window to the guard on the other side of the wagon. Idly, he wondered how she had ended up as one of his keepers in the first place. All the female knights he’d seen before—the total of which he could count on one hand—had been homely to put it kindly. He couldn’t get a good measure on her body underneath the bulky armor she was wearing, but she had a pretty face at least. He was sure she could have married and settled down instead of volunteered to sit in a stifling carriage with a criminal like him if she’d want to.

Now that he was paying closer attention, he couldn’t tell if Penelope was even watching him. She had seemed observant enough when she’d made her airheaded comrade sit on one of the horses, but now she almost looked like she was lost in thought. He studied her discreetly, pondering if she would try to stop him if he made another attempt to go through their supplies, but she spoke up before he could move.

For a moment, Crow just stared at her, unsure whom she was talking to. When no one responded, he decided to take it upon himself to reply, “I can honestly say I know what you mean.” He stretched out his legs and leaned contentedly against the pile of blankets. “Although I think I have you beat. This is the first time I’ve left the prison walls in a year.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the half-piece of bread he’d managed to keep hidden from William. Taking the soft food between his teeth, he tore off a mouthful and then looked back up at Penelope.

“Oh, sorry,” he apologized insincerely as he swallowed the bite. “Did you want some?”

"That's only because you made a poor career choice." Penelope commented with a slight smirk as glanced over at him. Her tone was more mocking and teasing than cold like usual. It still wasn't overly friendly though, one could easily be sure of that. As he took out the bread, her gaze quickly narrowed. "William, make sure you pat him down completely next time... I suppose the king didn't hire him for nothing.." she said, hating that she found herself rather surprised, maybe even slightly impressed though she would never admit it, with the thief. William was a vigilant person but he had managed to slip the bread past him somehow. "No. I'll have mine when we stop. We'll consider this your portion of lunch." she stated simply, letting him finish his piece without interruption. It would go without direct punishment.

Crow grinned at Penelope’s stunned expression when he revealed the piece of stolen bread. The look of surprise on a person’s face when he or she realized something had gone missing was always one of his favorite parts of thievery. He liked to think of his profession as an unwelcomed magic trick, where he would make someone’s valuables disappear. Of course, he never received an applause from his audience, but he wasn’t looking for their approval anyway. Everything he did was for himself and, occasionally, the other villagers on the outskirts of the kingdom. Whether the knight understood it or not, stealing was a way of life, and it was the only way of life he knew.

His amused expression vanished when she declined his offer. “That’s not fair,” he complained. “The guards barely fed me in prison. I need to build back some muscle for the king’s assignment. If I try to scale a wall now, a strong wind might blow me away.” He poked despondently at his bicep. It was a valid point in his mind, at least. He’d lost quite a bit of weight throughout the past year, and he wasn’t nearly as strong as he used to be. It was more likely that if he tried to scale a wall now, he would wear himself out and fall to his death.

That aside, the bigger concern was his approaching escape. In his current condition, it was going to be difficult for him to outrun his guards if they took chase. Even if he managed to improve his fitness slightly, he had a feeling he was going to have to rely on a distraction to slip away unnoticed. He glanced out the window again, taking note of the buildings outside. They probably had at least a few days left before they would reach the border, so he still had time to come up with a plan.

“How can I be of any use to anyone if you starve me before we even reach Younis?” he went on through a mouthful of bread, using the current topic to keep Penelope from noticing his thoughts had been elsewhere. Turning back to her, he narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’ll have to live with the guilt of knowing that you started a war all because you didn’t feed the king’s thief his rations.”

"Then maybe you should think twice about stealing from us." Penelope rhetorted. "If you're on good behavior then you get the same portion of food like the rest of us. Keep up with your usual nonsense then you starve. It's a simple system that you should be familiar with." She spoke rather coldly towards him, giving a look of disapproval as usual.

"Starve or don't starve. You're just a theif and you can be replace. Even the king knows that much." Penelope continued leaning back against the side of the wagon. She sat with good posture, having a straight back with her head held high. It definitely gave off a feeling of arrogance.

"So I'd suggest behaving for the rest of the time we are stuck together. I think it's for both of our better interests." She said with a small sigh.

Crow clicked his tongue and turned back to stare out the window on his side of the wagon. This woman didn’t seem to care if he keeled over and died so long as he learned his place on the way down. Her arrogance was annoying. The king had picked him for the mission because he had valuable skills that none of the knights could even hope to imitate, but she was acting like he was as disposable as a novice burglar. Her insistence that rationing the food was more important than his need to make up for a year of being underfed made him wonder how much they had been given for the journey though. If he’d been slapped on the wrist for eating just half a piece of bread, it seemed that the portions they’d been assigned were not nearly enough to satisfy his ravenous, prison-induced appetite.

A tense silence fell over the cart as they bumped slowly down the cobblestone road. Crow drummed his fingers impatiently against his knee, watching large houses pass sluggishly by the window. They were still deep in the land of the upper class, nowhere close to the border, and he was already losing interest in the trip. He would have preferred to spend his first day out of prison on his feet, walking to exercise disused muscles and asking around the local taverns to find out what he’d missed while he’d been locked up in a cell. Instead, he was stuck with a trio of inhospitable knights who wouldn’t even let him have a snack for the ride. It felt like a waste of a perfectly lovely morning.

Slumping irritably against the pile of blankets he’d claimed for a backrest, he glanced at Penelope again. She certainly looked like she was paying attention to him, but if she was anything like her entitled comrade, she probably wasn’t used to criminal guard duty. His lip curled upward in a mischievous smirk as he suddenly thought of an entertaining way to pass the time.

Righting his posture, the thief examined the supplies in the wagon until he came upon a particularly long and lumpy bundle. He smiled knowingly and crawled over to it, working the knotted twine that kept the sack bound deftly with his fingers. “Don’t mind me. I’m just looking,” he assured the knight, peeking at her over his shoulder before he continued what he was doing. As expected, he had found a collection of miscellaneous weapons that had been stowed away as spares for the knights. He whistled and lifted a finely crafted sword, drawing it from its sheath to get a better look at it. The silvery blade glinted sinisterly in the soft light of the early day, and he turned toward Penelope with a sly glint in his eye.

“This is an impressive piece of work,” he commented with the calculating air of a critic. “The king must think highly of you three to supply you with a blade this lovely.”

Penelope sighed and rolled her eyes as he moved to mess with the bundle. His personality wasn't quite what she was expecting. He made her feel like she was babysitting some annoying toddler than keeping an eye on a skilled thief. What made it worse was his ablity and skill. Such a pest.

As he drew the sword, she became slightly tense. Surely he wasn't foolish enough to actually use it? Even if he did manage to win against her there was still William and Abraxas to go through, leaving him little chance if any. Her hand was now slightly closer towards the hilt of her own sword which was at her side. "Put it down." she said sternly with her gaze focused clearly on him. "Wouldn't want you to cut yourself. You're the king's thief afterall." She spoke sarcastically, in reference to his constant defence against how the knights treated him.

"You let him touch the weapons?!" William snapped from outside the wagon.

"He's a thief not an assassin. Besides, the back of a wagon isn't exactly an easy fighting ground." Penelope stated matter-of-factly.

Crow grinned, feeling smug as Penelope tensed and reached for her own weapon. That she even considered him enough of a threat to put one hand on the hilt of her sword was amusing to him. Of course he wasn’t so foolish that he would actually attempt to use the blade in his hands. He wasn’t completely lacking in experience when it came to sword fighting, but he knew he was no match for a battle trained knight. Most of the time, his interest laid in stealing the weapons rather than in drawing them to fight. If he tried to come at her now, especially in the back of a moving cart, she would cut him down in half a second. Instead, he had other plans for the brand.

“Oh, relax,” he rolled his eyes and waggled the sword to keep the knight’s attention. “Despite my appearance, I’m not so useless with a blade that I would injure myself.” While he toyed with the brand, he gently pushed a small dagger behind his body with one foot. The motion was slight and almost unnoticeable, a perfected trick that he’d developed over years of practice. Distraction and misdirection were two ladies with whom he was intimately familiar and used to his advantage whenever he wanted to purloin an object in close quarters with another person. Unless his audience already knew about his tactics, the ploy worked almost every time.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll put it away though,” he went on, keeping up his charade as he slid the blade back into its sheath. While he returned it to the bundle with the others, he smoothly dropped the dagger into his right boot with one hand, keeping his torso positioned between the small weapon and the knight so she couldn’t see the movement from where she sat. Once it was in place, the leather-sheathed blade rested snugly against his ankle, completely out of sight.

“I wouldn’t want to make a lady uncomfortable,” Crow smiled wryly and inclined his head to Penelope, waving his hand in a garish bow before he went back to sifting through the weapon stock. Having already attained his prize, he pointedly knelt at an angle where the knight could see both of his hands as he looked over the other blades and bows. He hoped the false sense of peace he offered with the gesture would deter her from searching his person for any stolen goods.

When he felt like a plausible amount of time had passed, he wrapped the weapons back up in the cloth and retied the twine that kept them bound. “See?” he patted the bundle and looked up at Penelope. “No harm done. I just wanted to have a look.” Moving back to his spot by the blanket pile, he laid back and stretched out his limbs in a harmless manner.

His stealing went unnoticed by Penelope, despite being careful. She shot a glare his way as he spoke. For now, she did not speak up and just sat in quiet contempt for the thief. Things seemed to be in order, which was enough for her not to realize a dagger has gone missing.

Once he was laying back down, Penelope seemed more at ease. The less movement, the better. But this little hint of peace was quickly destroyed.

An arrow lodged itself in the wood only a few inches away from hitting Penelope. It's intended target had originally been William, who rode at the side of the wagon. However, it's archer had shot much too early and easily missed William and almost hit Penelope.

"We're being ambushed!" William shouted as he tried to calm his frightened mare as it reared up in panic.

Penelope ducked down to avoid any further incoming arrows and heaved herself off of the wagon which had now been pulled to a violent and sudden stop as two of the bandits now blocked their path. A few others began to emerged from the surrounding areas. It was clear that they had been labeled as a huge target. Coming from the king, surely many bandits wanted whatever they could get from the wagon and they knew they needed numbers to do so.

Crow leaned into the pile of blankets, stifling the triumphant smile that threatened to take over his lips. This was far too easy. Both William and Penelope, the most observant of his guards, had failed to notice his simple practice exercises! As one who preferred not to get his hands dirty, he had absolutely no need for a dagger. He had just wanted to test what he could get away with in the confinement of the wagon by rifling through the knights’ supply of weapons. The little experiment proved to be quite informative, telling him that his keepers obviously weren’t used to guarding a thief of his caliber. If they had been, they would have searched him numerous times by now. His old prison guards certainly would have done just that. If he’d tried the same trick with them, they would have confiscated the weapons from him immediately and inspected every fold of his clothes for odd bulges.

This was good news for him, since he was relying on their incompetence in order to make his escape in the coming days. Considering how things had been going so far, it was starting to look like he would have no trouble slipping away when they reached his homeland. He just wished the wagon would move faster, so he wouldn’t have to wait so long to run. Not only was the ride boring, but his excitement about returning to the outer villages increased with every turn of the wheels. He didn’t want to delay it any more than he had to.

As the group traveled further down the road, the large houses beyond the cart walls were slowly replaced with leafy, deciduous trees. They were entering a forest, though it wasn’t one the thief recognized. He yawned and closed his eyes. The scene outside was repetitive and therefore boring, and he had nothing left to say to the knights. Knowing the border was still a long way away, he decided he might as well take a nap to make the time go by faster. It was better than enduring the tense silence that had fallen between him and Penelope.

To his delight, something even more entertaining than dreaming roused him from his brief slumber.

Crow jumped when he heard the thump of an arrow striking one of the posts of the wagon, narrowly missing Penelope’s head. In the next moment, William shouted from outside about an ambush. He grinned and hit the floor as a second arrow zipped through the caravan and flew out the opposite window. It seemed the trip wouldn’t be as uneventful as he’d thought.

Lifting his head just enough to peek outside, he saw an unusually large group of bandits springing toward them from the woods. They were all rugged looking and carried miscellaneous weapons he guessed they had looted off the bodies of their past victims. As threatening as they were, the thief wasn’t frightened. He snickered to himself and ducked down again as another arrow shot past his head. The attack was obviously coordinated, but he was traveling with three trained knights. If he’d had money to bet, he would have put everything on the armored warriors who had spent their lives preparing to handle assaults like this. His green eyes flicked toward Penelope. They were still far from the outer villages, but perhaps he could use this raid to his advantage.

“What are you waiting for?” he waved a dismissive hand at her. “Go on, get rid of them. I can’t do it. I’m just a common criminal.”

Penelope glared over her shoulder at him as she drew her sword. "Keep talking like that and I'll use this on you instead." she threatened before quickly turning her attention to their attackers.

William and Abraxas were already in the heat of the fight that took no time in starting up. The clashing of metal hitting metal was distinict.

Penelope took her place in the fight, though she purposely stayed near the wagon. She blocked the attack of a bandit with ease and then managed to make him unbalnced before injuring his right arm with her sword. Her movements were fluid and clearly very skilled. While the knights were no guardsmen, it was clear they were very trained in battle, as expected.

The bandit angled himself for another attack despite his minor injury. He was encouraged as an ally came to his aid in this fight against her. Penelope clenched her teeth as she spun on her heel and tilted her sword sideways in order to bock both of her attackers. It seemed that two attackers was a bit more troublesome for her to keep up with, despite their own lack of skill.

“What?” Crow rolled his eyes sarcastically. “You and I both know I would be useless in a fight. In my profession, we generally try to avoid that sort of confrontation—or any confrontation at all, really. So, would you please—whoa!” He let out an undignified yelp as another arrow sailed past his nose, a bit too close for comfort, and crouched down on the floor again, returning the knight’s glare. “You see? Completely useless. Now, please get rid of them.”

He waited for Penelope to climb out of the wagon to join her comrades in the fray before he crept toward the back end, slithering along the floor to avoid getting hit by any of the stray arrows that flew overhead. Now that the knights were engaging the criminals on the ground, there weren’t as many archers shooting their weapons in the thief’s direction, but he didn’t want to take any chances. He pressed his back against one of the corner posts of the caravan and glanced through the rear window. The road was still crawling with the bodies of noble and bandit alike, and he clicked his tongue in annoyance. To make matters even worse, Penelope seemed to be lingering as close to the wagon as she could to guard her captive while she fought.

Narrowing his eyes, Crow was just starting to mentally run through his options when the cabin suddenly lurched with the weight of a new occupant. He turned away from the window to see that one of the bandits had slipped past the armored warriors and jumped inside while everyone else was distracted. The man caught sight of the ragged thief in the corner, and a wicked grin contorted his mouth. Seeming to think he’d stumbled upon an easy target, he drew a short sword from a scabbard at his hip and took a step toward him.

Muttering foul things under his breath, Crow leaned into the post behind him and hurriedly looked for an exit point, but the cursed wagon was too tight. By the time he scrambled to his feet, the enemy would already be upon him. He turned back to the man with a grimace. So much for getting away without a fight.

With no time to think, the thief just did the first thing that came to mind. As the bandit tensed to bring down his sword, he leaped forward, bowling both of them over and knocking the weapon out of his hand. Pinning the dazed man down beneath his weight, he retrieved the hidden dagger from his boot and held the blade against his throat, although he didn’t press down hard enough to draw blood. He was a thief, after all, not a killer.

“Yield,” Crow hissed, scowling at the bandit to appear as intimidating as he could.

The enemy swallowed and nodded his head vigorously, falling for the act. Crow let him up and kept the small blade trained on his chest to deter him from making any sudden movements. The improved plan was going as well as he could have hoped. He forced the man to the edge of the wagon with a shove of his non dominant hand. “Now kindly get out of here,” he flourished, thrusting the bandit over the side and then kneeling down to slip the dagger back into its sheath in his boot. It had proven to be more useful than he had first expected, so he decided that he would keep it.

He glanced over his shoulder at the other side of the cart, where the knights were still fighting off the last of the bandits. Fortunately for him, they were still distracted, so he hadn’t missed his chance. He slipped over the far side of the wagon and ducked underneath it while he looked for the safest exit point. The stolen dagger had helped him fight off one bandit, but it doubted it would protect him against more of them. He wasn’t going to make a run for it until he found a path that wasn’t dangerous.

Penelope was aided by Abraxas in fighting off the last of the bandits. The knights were much more skilled and,despite being out-numbered, were able to easily drive away the bandits. She let out a breath and sheathed her sword. Her breathing was a bit ragged now, as was William's and Abraxas'.

"I'm going to go make sure they aren't regrouping for another attack. Stay alert!" William ordered. He gave no one the chace to reply before mounting his horse and riding off into the coverage of the surrounding woodlands. Penelope only gave a nod that was never acknowledged.

Penelope then turned her attention back to her previous job, which was keeping an eye on Crow. She peeked into he backof the wagon, quick to realize that the thief was not there. She gave a furious look and turned her head towards Abraxas. "Abaraxas! Keep alert and start looking. He isn't in the wagon anymore!" she announced.

Crow cursed under his breath when he heard Penelope call out orders for a search. He had barely slipped under the wagon before his absence had been noticed, and he hadn’t made any headway in plotting his escape. Crouching in the shadows as a set of boots walked past him, his eyes flicked from one side of the carriage to the other. Time was running out, but it wasn’t over yet. If he thought fast, he could still make it out before one of the knights grew clever enough to take a look underneath the wagon. He’d come this far already. No sense in letting the opportunity for freedom slip through his fingers.

Carefully watching the feet of Abraxas and Penelope—William had gone off somewhere else—Crow angled himself to make a run for it on the northwest side of the wagon. He held still until the two knights were further away and weren’t looking in his direction and then darted out from beneath the cart, sprinting into the woods. Though he moved quickly, his footsteps were quiet with practiced precision from the years he’d spent dodging enemies before his arrest. The muscle memory paid off this time as he managed to duck behind a cluster of thick bushes without being seen.

Risking a quick glance back at the road, he could see the two knights still searching for him on the south side of the cart. He smirked to himself. Although he hadn’t been able to fully plan it out, his escape was going perfectly so far. Now all he had to do was figure out the rest of the way back to the outer villages without getting caught. Easy.

The thief was making his way into the deeper parts of the woods, weaving between the trees to leave a confusing trail in case one of the knights had managed to follow him, when it suddenly occurred to him that he had no idea where he was. He was unfamiliar with this part of the kingdom, and even though he knew the forests of his homeland like the back of his hand, he had trouble navigating heavily wooded areas when he hadn’t walked through them before. Having used a different route to get to and from the citadel in the past, he didn’t know where he was going now.

“We were travelling north towards the border, and now I’m headed northwest…” Crow muttered, trying to form a mental map of the area. He stopped and looked around again. Even if he knew where he was in perspective with the castle, he still didn’t know if there were any towns in the area where he could take refuge. It also didn’t help that he couldn’t read real maps very easily. Trying to conjure one up in his head was nearly impossible, and there weren’t even any landmarks that he could use to direct himself. All the trees looked the same to him.

He crossed his arms over his chest and let out a frustrated huff. It was starting to look like he should have waited until they were closer to the outer villages before he made his escape. At least then he would have known how to get back to the parts of the kingdom he was familiar with. Instead, he was roughing it through unknown terrain, trying to figure out the best place to find shelter after losing touch with the world for an entire year in prison. It wasn’t the smartest snap decision he had ever made.

“What are you doing out here?”

Crow jumped at the abrupt sound of a voice and spun around to find an angry William pointing a sword at his chest. Impulsively, he shot his hands into the air and took a step back from the blade to keep from getting cut. His gaze dropped to the ground. In his concern about finding a path of escape, he hadn’t even realized that he was standing on the side of an old, overgrown road. The knight must have spotted him when he was on his way back to join the others.

Looking back up, he met William’s narrowed eyes with a lopsided smile, “I don’t suppose you would believe me if I told you I was sightseeing?”

“If the king hadn’t ordered me against it, I would run you through right now,” William growled, pressing the point of his sword against Crow’s chest once more. The metal felt icy through the tattered fabric. “Get back to the wagon.” He shoved the thief along the road and grabbed the reins of his waiting horse, tugging the animal along as they walked while his captive glowered at the foliage, frustrated with his own sloppy escape attempt.

William didn’t take his eyes off of Crow until he was inside the back of the wagon again. Once he was sitting down again, the knight shot him one more threatening glare, “The next time you pull a stunt like that, I won’t be so merciful.” With that, he spun around to face Penelope, extending his wrath to her. “Watch the thief more carefully next time. We can’t let him slip away like that again,” he barked. Hitching his horse to the front of the wagon again, he climbed back on while Abraxas did the same with his. “Let’s keep going. We’re behind schedule, and we need to reach the next village before sundown.”

Penelope turned as she saw the approaching figures of William and Crow. Relief waved over her as the mission hadn't been completely destroyed due to her negligence. She began to approach the carriage whenWilliam spun around to address her. "Of course." Penelope replied in a monotoned way. Once the older knight left to attend the front of the wagon, she silently climbed into the back of the carriage.

Her gaze was serious and gave away no clear emotion. Though, she felt deeply ashamed of herself for messing up so much. Penelope lowered her head slightly to look at the wooden floor. It only remained that way for a short second before she quickly raised her head again. After all, lowering your head was a sign of weakness. Pretty much any emotion shown besides hatred to an enemy was a sign of weakness. Or at least, that was what Penelope was taught.

"Damn thief." she muttered bitterly as the carriage suddenly lurched forward. The wheels began to roll again and soon they were on their way once more. Penelope could tell that their pace had increased slightly from before. She supposed William was rushing them forward now.

Penelope looked out the carriage at the passing area. Very frequently, she would glance over at Crow, study him until she decided he wasn't doing anything, and then look away again.