Crow settled down in his old spot by the blanket pile, fixing his gaze unsociably on the window as the wagon lurched forward. His first escape attempt had been a complete and utter failure, and it had soured his mood. As last minute as it had been, he had briefly gotten his hopes up that he would be able to go home sooner than he’d first expected. He wanted nothing more than to see something familiar after being isolate for so long. By this point, the outer villages felt like a distant dream. If only he had had more time to prepare, he could have made a clean getaway. Instead, he was back inside the carriage with Penelope and, to make matters worse, all of his guards were on even higher alert. He couldn’t afford to make a blunder like that again or he’d never get away. He would have to plan more carefully next time.

As they rode along, he noticed that Penelope had started to sneak more frequent glances at him. She was watching him much more closely than before now that she knew how eager he was to get away. Go figure. He toyed absently with the hem of his tunic, wearing an expression of boredom so as not to raise suspicion. If she could hear the thoughts running through his head at that moment, she would have clasped chains on his wrists in a heartbeat. The free range of motion he’d been granted was the only advantage he could hold onto right now. Losing that before they crossed the border into Younis would mean losing his chance to run, since he knew the foreign land even less than he knew the inner kingdom of Brerra.

With a sigh that was laced with both frustration and boredom, the thief glanced across the carriage at his guard. If he was going to get away from these knights, he needed to find a way to make her lower her guard again, otherwise she would catch him before he put one foot out of the wagon. He studied her discreetly. Underneath that cold exterior, she was still a woman. Perhaps he could try to win her over? Flirting had been a successful tool for him before, and he wouldn’t have to try very hard, since she was easy on the eyes. He decided it was worth a shot.

“You like what you see?” Crow said the next time he caught Penelope staring at him. He put on his most charming smile. “I can see you looking. I don’t blame you. Prison’s been hard, but I think I came out of it just fine, don’t you agree?” He chuckled to himself and leaned into the blankets, meeting Penelope’s eyes thoughtfully. “You know, I haven’t seen a pretty face in over a year. Yours is a nice break from those grumpy guardsmen I had to put up with for so long. I think I must have done something to please the gods to have been blessed with such beautiful company.”

The question caught her off guard. That much could quickly be established. She gave a scoff, almost amused by the ridiculous words that he spoke. At first, she figured he was just trying to annoy her or even cause some sort of distraction. However, that didn't quite seem to be the case since the thing he was closest to was the pile of blankets. She knew he was playing at some sort of angle though.

Her demeanor changed slightly, though she kept a cold,arrogant aura for looks. If playing this little game meant that she could easily stop him from whatever his plans were, then perhaps she should take this chance to go along with it for now.

Penelope turn her head away as if bashful or embarassed by the compliments. "F-Fool." she spatted in her usual tone only with an added stuttered. The act had to be believeable after all. "As if I'd welcome such compliments from a pety thief with low standards."

She turned her head back around to look at him but she still kept her act going. She feigned embarassment by looking elsewhere to avoid meeting his gaze. At one point, Penelope glanced out towards William and Abraxas. She was a bit worried they wouldn't understand she was just putting on an act.

Penelope’s flustered reaction was unanticipated but pleasing to Crow. He wasn’t sure what he had expected when he had offered her a compliment, but he certainly hadn’t thought she would be so startled. Until now, she had been nothing but serious with him. At the very least, he’d thought it would take some coaxing to get her to drop her guard. He had even braced himself for the knight to tell him to shut up or threaten him with her sword again. Instead, she had revealed a bashful side that he hadn’t known existed in her. If she hadn’t been wearing a suit of armor, he might have forgotten he had just made a pass at a trained member of the king’s army.

The thief paused as another thought came to him. Could it be that Penelope actually found him attractive? Considering the way she had treated him until now, he never would have believed it, but the theory did explain why she would be so embarrassed by his lackadaisical comment. He nearly snorted at the ridiculousness of it. Perhaps a year ago he could have claimed that he was handsome enough to catch the eye of a woman like her, but he had just been released from prison that very morning. The evidence of his time spent behind bars was still visible on his narrow frame from head to foot. His dark hair was matted, his skin was pale, and his clothes were faded and filthy. The chafe marks from the chains that had bound him still decorated his wrists and ankles as well.

Yet, for some reason, Penelope was fazed by his flirting. Maybe he had underestimated his natural charm.

“Low standards?” Crow sat up and raised a brow in mock surprise, putting his amusement aside for now to focus on his goal. “Oh no, love, you misunderstand! I have the refined taste of an aristocrat.” He sidled a little closer to her, taking advantage of her fluster. If he was going to woo her, now seemed like the best chance he was going to get. They were alone inside the wagon, she was squirming, and there was nothing around to interrupt the moment. He flashed her another inviting smile.

“You see, as a thief, I have an eye for things of value. I can tell when something or someone is special at merely a glance, and you caught my attention right away,” his eyes flicked subtly toward the front window of the carriage, where he could see the backs of William and Abraxas’s heads. The two knights didn’t seem to be paying any attention to what was going on behind them. Perfect.

Crow smoothly took Penelope’s hand in his and lifted it to his lips, planting a gentle kiss and looking up at her with a glint of mischief in his eye, “Don’t think for a moment that I have ‘low standards.’ When I tell someone she is beautiful, I mean it.”

Acting sure came with a price. The way he tried to win her over easily revolted the female knight. She was suppose to be a person of honor! Instead, she was stuck putting up with some pest for the king in a way that might not work. However, he at least seemed more focused on her than anything else at the moment, including stealing or planning an escape. That was enough to encourage her to continue on with this scam.

As he picked up her hand, she restrained herself from hurting him, despite her slowly building frustration and annoyance with this thief. Her normally pale face became a tad red as he kissed her hand. It was likely due to a mixture of both embarassment and her frustration.

Luckily for her, the timing couldn't have been more perfect. She tug her hand away from him violently before shoving him away from her so he was no longer so close. Penelope shot him a deathly glare before being interrupted by the voice of William, whom was beginning to turn his attention to the back of the wagon.

"He isn't trying anything again is he?" William asked, already sounding hostile.

"No. Not yet." Penelope replied in her normal, strict attitude as if nothing had happened.

William gave a small gruff of acknowledgement before her turn his attention elsewhere. Penelope let out a sigh of relief. Something she didn't even have to fake.

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Crow saw the frustrated look come over Penelope’s face. However, he didn’t have time to react before she shoved him away from her and shot him that venomous glare. He rolled his eyes back at her, but in his head, he was already calculating what went wrong. Perhaps the kiss had been a little too much after all. Given the way she had been acting, he’d thought it would have been just enough to win her over. Instead, her guard had immediately flown back up, and she was wary of him again. He should have stuck with the compliments rather than pushed her boundaries.

Slinking back to the spot he’d claimed by the blankets, he let out a low sigh. Upon thinking about it harder, it seemed like she had just tricked him to see what he had been plotting. Why else would she have stammered at his flirting one minute and then scowled at him the next? He chided himself internally for missing the signals that she had been faking her attraction to him. Normally, he was quicker at picking up on the lies of other people, but he hadn’t expected a noblewoman like her to string him along. Although it didn’t matter anyway. Even if she was genuinely interested in him, he wasn’t foolish enough to let it slip that he was just using her to escape from her comrades. He studied her with hooded eyes. She might have shut down his advances this time, but if she thought he would give up that easily, she had another thing coming. Part of his reputation had been for his stubbornness, after all. He wouldn’t quit until he had her under his thumb.

Once William had turned away from them again, Crow threw Penelope an offended look, “You didn’t have to be so harsh. When has a compliment ever hurt anyone?” He sighed audibly this time and turned his head to stare out the window, pointedly avoiding eye contact with her. “You seem to have it in your head that I’m just a loathsome snake, but I’m not always a liar, you know. I meant what I said.” He let the subject drop as he watched the trees roll by, wearing a look of bitter indignation.

So far, he was feeling quite pleased with himself. He thought he had done a fairly decent job of pretending to be interested in Penelope. It was easy enough, since he really did think she was beautiful. If she had been a young peasant girl rather than a knight, he might have considered making an honest attempt to woo her. Alas, she was a knight, and he was her captive. Sharing the air inside the wagon was the closest they would ever get. He was far from disappointed though.

Once he was free from his armored entourage, he could have his pick of the peasant girls in the outer villages. There were plenty who were willing to look past his criminal record in exchange for a few drinks and a sultry night at an inn. He may not have been the most eligible man to marry, but thanks to the fame attached to his name, he could boast a high spot on the list of deviants that common women were partial to bedding. The daydream brought a faint smile to his lips. He couldn’t wait to return to his homeland.

Penelope rolled her eyes and looked away once more. His words hit her slightly though, for once making her wonder if she had been too harsh in her actions. She quickly shook the thought out of her head though. It was ridiculous for her to worry about such meaningless things. William had been suspicious of the actions of the thief anyways. She'd have to explain her plan to her comrades later to avoid any unnecessary complications.

Seeing as Crow was done for now with his wooing, Penelope let such thoughts go to the back of her mind. She quickly returned back to her usual routine, thouh her glances at him were less frequent now.

After a while of traveling, the sun was nearly setting now when they reached their destination. "At least we made it on time." grumbled William as he looked around seeming pleased. Penelope straightened up at the sight, now becoming more alert again but she also longed to leave the carriage and stretch her limbs a bit. Being stuck in that wagon had made her feel stiff despite how she moved every now and then in an attempt to find some sort of comfortable position.

For Crow, the rest of the journey was painfully dull. He drifted in and out of sleep, attempting to stave off his boredom with fleeting dreams and wishing William would bring the horses to a canter so they could reach their destination quicker. Unfortunately, since the knights were still expecting a long journey, they weren’t willing to push the animals so hard on the very first day, and thief couldn’t object to their steady pace, since he was keeping his early departure a secret from the others. They would find out soon enough that they were all wasting their time on the king’s senseless assignment.

During the times when he was awake, he would peer out the window to check their progress but, being unfamiliar with the area, the scenery provided him with no clues. All he saw were trees that with little variation and the occasional passerby traveling between the citadel and whatever town they were on their way to next. Naturally, his next inclination was to pester William with the incessant question: “Are we there yet?” To which the knight would threaten to cut out his tongue, and he would shut his mouth and go back to sleep. The cycle was repeated throughout the rest of the trip.

When the carriage finally rolled to a stop, Crow awoke from his latest nap immediately and sat up, poking his head out the window to see where they were. The sun was sinking low to the horizon, so it appeared they were going to be spending the night in this lavish city. He frowned. He had hoped they would travel nearer to the outer villages before they rested, but judging by the enormous buildings around them, they were still somewhere in the inner kingdom.

A few people milled about the streets, all dressed in the ornate fabrics of noblemen and women, but no one seemed to pay the procession any mind. They had stopped the wagon in front of an inn, and travelers in this part of the kingdom were supposedly common. As a peasant, he didn’t know much about the routines of the upper class, but he had heard that nobles conducted business and traded often between regions. The men and women around them now probably just assumed they were here for the same purposes.

Losing interest in observing his surroundings, the thief climbed to his feet and stretched his legs as well as he could in the small space. He was taller than average, so he couldn’t stand fully upright without hitting his head on the canopy. It was better than wasting away laying on his back though. Eager to get out of the torturous contraption, he clambered down from the back as soon as Penelope’s boots touched the ground. They might have been far from his homeland, but he was happy to be in any place that would serve as an alternative to a prison cell or a wagon bed.

In the next moment, he blinked as his stomach let out a low growl. Napping on the ride over had taken the edge off his hunger, but now that he didn’t have anything else to distract himself, he was acutely aware of the fact that all he’d eaten that day was half a piece of bread. “Will we be having dinner soon?” he asked, glancing at William, whom he had pegged as the main decision maker among the trio of guards. “I’m starving.”

“You are not starving,” William glowered at him in exasperation. It was becoming increasingly clear that he had despised every instance his captive opened his mouth. “We’ll eat later. I have a few arrangements to make first.”

Crow narrowed his pale eyes. He had always hated knights, but this one was grating on his nerves more than most. It was presumptuous of William to act like he, a rather emaciated convict, was in good enough condition to delay and cut short meals. His frustration came through in his voice. “How would you know whether or not I’m starving?” he crossed his arms irritably. “You’ve been well-fed all your life. I doubt you even know what hunger is.”

William clenched his jaw as if he had something to add, but instead he just turned away from the thief and addressed Penelope, “We will be staying at the Black Galleon Inn. The king sent a letter ahead, so the innkeeper should be expecting us.” He then spoke to the other knight, “Abraxas, lead the horses around back and meet up with us when you’ve finished. There should be a stable for them on the other side of the inn.” With that, he gestured for the female knight and their pet criminal to follow him as he headed for the door of the building in front of which they had settled.

Still simmering from his conflict with William, Crow didn’t speak to either of them while they walked into the inn. He found it more pleasant to pretend like he was by himself, exploring the city as a free man. There was certainly plenty to keep his eyes occupied inside the building. It wasn’t as elaborately decorated as the castle, but it still held an atmosphere of luxury. He guessed that it had been arranged to appeal to the wealthiest citizens of Brerra. There were some gilded features and tapestries along the walls, and the stone floor was padded with soft rugs.

Trailing along behind the knights, he noticed that some of the other staying travelers were staring at him as they passed by, and he bit his lip to stifle a smirk. Bedraggled and dirty, he was absurdly out of place among all of these rich merchants and lesser lords. He could only imagine the thoughts running through their heads as they tried to piece together what a churl like him was doing at such an esteemed inn. Although, he was admittedly disappointed that it didn’t seem like anyone recognized his face. Had his reputation really been so fragile that all it had taken for the people to forget him was one year behind bars?

Amusing himself, he decided to further confuse his observers by holding his head high and examining the décor with an unimpressed expression, as if he was used to higher standards. Unfortunately, his fun was put to an end when William noticed he was lagging behind. The knight grabbed him by the collar of his tunic and dragged him along, making it perfectly clear to all who were watching that the thief was just as lowly as he appeared.

Crow batted William’s hand away and smoothed down his tattered clothes, “I’m perfectly capable of walking on my own, thank you very much.”

“Then stop playing around,” William grumbled in annoyance. “We’re trying not to draw attention to ourselves. Now, wait with Penelope and try not to cause any more trouble.” He went on ahead to speak with a well-dressed man at the back of the room—likely the innkeeper—and left Crow to stay behind with Penelope.

Crow tapped his foot impatiently and looked around again. His mind wandered back to dinner, the prospect of which was looking less and less likely as the sky grew darker. The knights might have been fine with skipping a meal or two, but his stomach was not nearly so disciplined. He was going to find something to eat whether they liked it or not.

Upon sweeping the room one more time, he spotted a young servant girl among a group of lords engaged in a conversation nearby. She had curly blonde hair tied back in pigtails and a freckled face that gave her a look of girlish innocence. He whistled softly to get her attention and then flashed her a smile when she turned toward around. Even though he wasn’t at his physical peak anymore, he knew that confidence could go a long way with women. It also didn’t hurt that peasants cared far less about appearance than nobles did.

Subtly, he waved a hand for her to come closer. She glanced briefly at one of the lords, whom Crow assumed was her master, and then made her way over to the thief, eyeing him curiously, “What is it that you want from me?”

“Must I want something in order to talk to someone with a face as pretty as yours?” he said, grinning when the girl’s cheeks turned rosy. Penelope may not have been taken by his charms, but he knew now that he still had a way with the ladies of his own class. He leaned down and lowered his voice as if sharing a secret, “I do have one request though. Can you tell me if the inn serves dinner at this hour?” He smiled at her with mock bashfulness and rested a hand on his middle. “I’ve been travelling all day, and I’m very hungry.”

The servant girl chuckled, finding his feigned diffidence endearing, and pointed at a set of double doors, “Yes, there’s a dining hall just through there.”

“Thank you, love,” Crow said gratefully, standing up straight again. “The gods have blessed you with kindness as well as beauty.”

“Y-you’re welcome,” the girl stammered, her face flushing a deeper shade of red before she bowed respectfully and hurried back to her master’s side.

Having gotten what he wanted, Crow turned back to Penelope with a pleading look, “Now that we know where the food is, can we please get something to eat? I think I might just keel over from starvation if I go much longer without dinner.”

Penelope watched as Crow quickly pestered William about eating. She crossed her arms and sent a glare at the thief but seeing as how William moved on, so did she. Like they didn't know a thing about hunger! From what she knew, William had faced some rather harsh situations in his many days as a knight. While Penelope was still young and had yet to see war, even she knew of hardships as well. As William addressed her, she gave a small nod.

Penelope followed quietly behind Crow as they headed into the luxurious inn. She looked around, attempting to maintain a serious face despite being in awe with this place. Of course she had seen plenty of luxury in her time within the castle, however, it was much different then the inns she stayed in before. Her eyes gleamed a little as they moved over and examined very small little detail. Before long she heard a small snicker coming from nearby. Looking across the room she made eye contact with a young lady, likely from a very wealthy family based on the clothing she was wearing. She looked upon Penelope with little respect and mocking eyes. Penelope shot her a cold glare before quickly straightening her stance and turning her attention back to Crow and William.

They were slightly ahead of her now as William was dragging the poor thief along. Before he noticed her own delay, Penelope quickened her pace to catch up with the two. Just in time to as William left to speak with the innkeeper.

Penelope watched as Crow called over some servant girl and began using his charm on her. She rolled her eyes, the scene much too familiar as she had tried it with her only a few hours ago. Still she held her tounge for now, merely watching the thief. As the girl hurried off and Crow now looked to her, Penelope rolled her eyes.

"You have no self restraint." Penelope grumbled. But she had to admit, she was rather hungry as well. Her stomach growled at the thought of the food, making her cheeks a light pink out of embarassment. Hopefully no one heard it.

Her green gaze glanced towards the dining hall. When was the last time she had eaten? She pondered this for a moment. "A small bite, you hear me?" She finally broke. "Don't pig out on the food here. You get one small plate and that's it." She told him in a strict tone.

What Penelope called a lack of self-restraint was, to Crow, a way of life. He shrugged apathetically at her judgmental words. There was no reason for her to be upset. Perhaps using another person wasn’t considered honorable to members of her status, but it had been a benign trick. He hadn’t hurt anyone, and it wasn’t like the servant had expected anything more to come from his flirting. He had made her feel good about herself with his complimentary words, she had pointed him to the nearest source of food, and they would both never see each other again. If anything, the knight should have been grateful that he’d done the work of locating dinner for the both of them.

He smirked amusedly when she ‘reluctantly’ agreed to let him eat. Her complaining belly was proof that she was just as hungry as he was. Though she tried to cover it up, he wasn’t going to let her off the hook that easily. “Right, and you’re not hungry at all?” he pilloried, elbowing her teasingly in the side. “I think your stomach disagrees.” Revenge for shoving him earlier. It was petty, but it was the most he could do to assert himself when his guards held all the power. For good measure, he laughed and started towards the dining hall, indicating her to follow him. “Come on. William wouldn’t like it if you left me alone in a place where I could ‘cause trouble.’ So let’s see what kind of food this part of the kingdom has to offer.”

He opened the door, holding it for Penelope to step through first—he had to keep up his act to win her over, after all—and entered after her. Like the rest of the inn, the dining hall was eloquent. However, Crow wasn’t interested in the décor. He wasted no time in seeking out an empty table and sitting down with Penelope, excited to have his first real meal since his incarceration. All the food that he and the other prisoners had eaten had been old and stale. He could barely remember what fresh produce tasted like. Sitting in a real restaurant that smelled of cooked dinners and strong drinks reminded him yet again that he was on his way to becoming a free man.

Wasting no time, he flagged over a bar wench to take their orders. The girl walked up to them with a bemused expression, having likely never seen a pair as odd as them before. Female knights and ragged thieves didn’t commonly frequent high-end establishments like this one. Fortunately, she was professional in her mannerisms and covered her intrigue with a businesslike friendliness. “What can I get for you, today?” she asked with a smile, only giving away her condescending thoughts with her eyes.

“I’m not picky,” Crow answered with a shrug. He couldn’t have cared less what the girl thought of him. “Just bring me as much food as you can pile on a small plate. I want to eat like a king tonight.” He winked at Penelope. It didn’t matter what she did to try and decrease the size of his portions. He would find a way around it. Besides that, he was beginning to realize that he enjoyed riling her up. It was entertaining to crack her humorless façade and make her scowl when he irked her. Every opportunity to do so was like a game to him, and he played to win.

Pushing his boundaries once more, he placed his hand on top of hers and smiled as if they were together, a gesture which likely confused the wench as much as he hoped it angered Penelope, “What would you like, dear?”

Penelope shot glare his way as he mentioned her stomach. As he motioned for her to follow, she trailed silently behind him as they entered the dining hall. She didn't bother to acknowledge the fact that he had held the door open for her. She noticed that once again they earned a few glances from the nobles there. She rolled her eyes and continued to the empty table.

She sat down across from the thief and glanced around for the server. Crow had already flagged her down before she had the chance. It was almost amusing to see the look the poor wench gave.

At the thief's order, Penelope gave a sour look. She'd get him back... She just need the opportunity. Then he really pushed her limit as he reached out and put his hand over hers. Anger flashed across her face but she quickly controled it, even going so far as to force a smile. Behind the smile, there was a look of mischief. "Oh darling," she began faking a sweet tone, "I'll just eat off of your plate. I'm sure that will be enough for both of us." She now addressed the confused wench who merely nodded before saying she'd be back soon with their order.

Once the wench had left, Penelope quickly lost her smile. "As if I'd let you get away with such behavior." she snorted pulling her hand away from his.

Crow gawped at Penelope in surprise when she announced that she would share food from his plate. He hadn’t expected her to actually go along with his teasing act, even going so far as to take away some of his dinner. She was cleverer than he’d thought. Despite himself, there was a small part of him that was impressed with her wit, although he would never admit it out loud. If he ever openly admired anything about a noble, his pride would wither up and die. So instead, he clung to the fact that she had veritably cut his meal in half, using the irritating thought to fan the flames of his frustration.

“I bet you think you’re very funny,” he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair, glaring at the knight. “Well, my empty stomach and I are not amused.”

“I should have known I’d find you two here.”

Crow paused at the sound of a new voice and craned his neck to see William standing behind him, looking vexed. The knight scowled down at him, “I told you to wait for me.”

“You didn’t specify where you wanted us to wait,” Crow pointed out blandly. He didn’t care if he’d upset his guard. He might have been their captive, but he was still a man with needs. One of those needs was to fill his empty stomach. “And besides, I’m hungry,” he vocalized simply. “You made us skip lunch because of those awful bandits. Let me at least have a bite for dinner.”

William hesitated for a moment before he growled: “Fine.” Taking a seat at the table, he tetchily avoided eye contact with the thief. “We’ll be staying here for the night, so it doesn’t matter anyway.”

“Wonderful,” Crow grinned. He looked up just as the bar wench returned with his plate of food. The dish was piled high with a delicious looking assortment of fruits, cooked vegetables, and, best of all, veal. His mouth watered as the savory aroma reached him. Apart from chicken, he had only eaten meat twice in his life—he had stolen it from nobles both times—so to him, it was a luxury. “Gods bless you,” he said to the wench as he dug into the food on his plate. She just nodded wordlessly and turned to take the other knights’ orders.

After swallowing a few mouthfuls, Crow noticed another serving girl walking by with a platter of pints of ale. It had been a long time since he’d last touched a drink other than questionably clean water. Eager to taste the golden liquid once again, he leaned sideways and swiped a mug as the girl passed, lifting to his lips and taking a swig. The alcohol was just as smooth as he remembered. He sighed contentedly.

“Don’t drink yourself senseless, thief,” William, who had seen everything, made a face at him in disgust. “You forget that you’re on an assignment from the king.”

“Oh, relax,” Crow rolled his eyes and took another sip. “I have a personal rule that I will never let myself get drunk. Drunken men do stupid, thoughtless things. I much prefer to be sober.” It was true that before his arrest, he had spent quite a few nights in taverns all over the kingdom. However, he didn’t do it to get drunk. He just liked the company of the other men and women and the opportunity to brag about his latest escapades.

He lifted the mug to his lips once more and then set it down on the table, glancing at Penelope with a teasing glint in his eye. The temptation to toy with her again was too great to resist. “Would m’lady like some ale as well, or are you too good for a commoners’ drink?”

Penelope lifted her gaze up as she noticed William approach. Crow's words had went in one ear and out the other as she paid little attention to them when she sighted the other knight. She watched as he naturally took out their disappearance on the thief. This in it's self partly annoyed her. It felt like he was underestimating her to some point.

She gave a small snort as William gave in and took a seat at the table. Despite his act, Penelope knew very well he was just as hungry as they were. Though she did comend him for putting up an act much better than hers in the end.

Once the food appeared, Penelope silently began to eat off the plate as intended. It earned her a strange look from William, who was silently questioning her reasons for eating off the same plate as a thief. The female knight merely waved her hand at him dismissively and he let it go at that.

Penelope paid little attention to them as she took another bite of the food. It wasn't until Crow glanced over at her that she changed her focus onto him. She looked ready to give some cold comment but then decided against it. Instead she grabbed the mug and took a drink.

"Shut up, William or I'll tell the thief about that time you got drunk on a mission." She said in quick defense against herself as she noticed William looking frustrated with her decision to drink.

"Like I care about what he thinks!" William grumbled but looked a tad embarassed.

"Ah but if I tell it loud enough the nobles around us will also hear." Penelope said with a smirk at her comrade.

William sent a glare her way. "You have no respect." he sighed. Penelope gave a small laugh. She appeared rather relaxed at the moment, even going so far as to joke around a little. Penelope wasn't and stiff and tense as she had been before.

At first, Crow thought Penelope was going to decline his offer to share a mug of ale. The surly expression on her face was something he was growing familiar with as they were forced to spend more time together. He had never expected to befriend his guards, especially when his thoughts were honed in on leaving them behind to return home, so instead, he took pleasure in ruffling their feathers. A sly smirk crossed his lips. He had caught other knights drinking on the job in the past, but it was absurd for a noble with any self-respect to split a pint with a criminal. He was certain she would turn down the drink and make another scathing remark about his “poor life choices,” or something else she disliked about him.

However, before anyone could open their mouths to speak, the thief blinked in surprise as she suddenly swiped the mug from his hand and downed a portion of the ale inside. The unexpected gesture left him briefly speechless. Rationally, he knew it wasn’t that significant, but it was the first time any knight had set aside their differences even to do something as simple as accept a childish challenge. It was difficult for him not to dwell on the fact that, for a second, she had treated him like an actual member of the group instead of just a bothersome tool to be used. Maybe he had misjudged her.

To Crow’s further delight, Penelope embarrassed William with a threat to tell a story that the older knight was ashamed of. He grinned amusedly, his eyes concealing a newfound intrigue for his unorthodox guard. Until now, she had been nothing but cold around him, but it seemed like she had more faces than he’d first thought. He did have to wonder what had changed to cause her to loosen up so much though. Whatever it was, he hoped it happened more often. She was much more enjoyable to be around when she wasn’t glowering at him at all hours of the day.

After a while of dining and idle chatter—mostly between the knights, since Crow was more focused on filling his stomach than he was on talking—they were joined by Abraxas, who had finally finished making arrangements for the knights’ horses at the stable and had turned over their supply wagon to the local knights for safekeeping overnight. The others waited for him to order and eat a small supper before they all followed William’s lead to the room they would be sharing until their departure in the morning.

“It isn’t one of the nicest rooms at this inn,” the knight explained as they walked. “But the king doesn’t want us to draw more attention to ourselves than is necessary.” He glanced at Penelope. “We also need to save the money he gave us, so I only paid for one room. It is spacious enough for all of us and has a wooden divider if you should need your privacy.”

Subtly, Crow glanced at her as well, curious if she was upset about sharing her sleeping quarters with three men. He didn’t know how knights operated, but he did know that nobles were often strict about the ways in which they interacted with the opposite sex. William spoke about the arrangement as if it was normal, but it was hard to tell for sure, since female knights were a rarity by themselves.

The group soon arrived at a plain-looking door on the second level of the building, which William pulled open to reveal a plain-looking room with two beds, a table with a softly glowing lantern, and a wooden divider folded against one wall. Crow trailed after the others as they stepped inside, followed closely by Abraxas, who took up the rear to ensure that the thief didn’t try to escape. His gaze swept jadedly over the room. The knight hadn’t underestimated it. Their bed space was quite humble considering the kind of inn they were staying at. However, it was still far nicer than a prison cell, so he had no complaints.

“Penelope, you can take the far bed,” William instructed once the door had been closed behind them. “And Abraxas and I can take this one.”

“Hang on,” Crow piped up, narrowing his eyes. It hadn’t slipped past him that his name hadn’t been included in the list. “Where does that leave me? That bed isn’t going to fit three men, and I’m certain Penelope wouldn’t appreciate it if I tried to share with her.”

“You will be sleeping on the floor,” William answered as if it was obvious.

“That isn’t right,” Crow folded his arms belligerently over his chest. “I’m the whole reason you three are even going on this mission. You should have purchased a room with four beds.”

“It’s for the sake of keeping our heads down,” William sighed in exasperation. “The larger rooms are in a more conspicuous wing. Now stop complaining and hold out your hand.”

“Why?” the thief eyed him bemusedly.

“Just do it.”

“Alright,” Crow frowned, uncrossing his arms and extending his right hand. In the next instance, William caught him off guard by unclipping a chain cuff from his belt and locking it onto his wrist. He winced as the metal restraint galled his preexisting sores, bringing back unpleasant memories of the iron he’d worn just earlier that morning. “I thought I was done with chains when I left prison.”

“Well, I want to sleep,” William stated brusquely, dragging him over to the bed and attaching the other side of the cuff to one of the end posts. “I can’t stay up all night looking after you.” The knight carelessly tossed a blanket in his direction and turned back to his equals. “Get as much sleep as you can. We leave in the morning.”

Crow stared bitterly down at his “bed” for the night before letting out a long sigh and laying down on the cold floor. Just when he’d gotten his hopes up that he would be able to experience the luxury of sleeping on a plush mattress, he’d been reduced to street trash once again. Part of him was tempted to spite William and use his pick lock key to slip out in the middle of the night, but they were still far enough away from the outer villages—and in a town he didn’t know very well—that the appeal of having a free ride the rest of the way there was compelling enough to keep him planted for now.

Too tired to argue about the sleeping arrangements anymore, he reached for the blanket that the knight had left in a heap and pulled it over his body. At least the wood beneath him was more comfortable than the stone slab he’d had in prison. He would have no problem falling asleep on it.

Penelope gave a small nod as William mentioned only getting one room. She hadn't been expecting anything more or less. After working and training as a knight for quite a few years now, she had become used to sharing her sleeping quaters. Even if it was with three men.

She walked over to her bed and began to take off the thin layer of armor. It was built to be light and easy to move around in but after wearing it for so long it became a burden and felt much too restricting on her body. She let out a soft sigh, almost one of relief, and stretched, enjoying her freedom from the armor. It left her in a loose fitting, white shirt and dusty brown pants. Penelope proceeded to untie her hair, which had been pulled up tightly until now. She found that keeping her hair out of her face was a critical part of being prepared for work as a knight.

Penelope almost looked like a different person. Her hair now flowed at full length down to her shoulders, lightly framing her face. She overall seemed much more relaxed and had lowered her guard. Without her armor, her body even appeared much more petite and weak, despite the strength she held.

She glanced briefly over at the guys as they made their way to bed. It seemed William had fallen asleep almost as soon as he hit the bed and Abraxas wouldn't take much longer to fall asleep either. Penelope yawned, being reminded of her own drowsiness. She decided not to bother to stay up much longer either and laid down as well. The softness of the bed was comforting and she quickly drifted off.

---

The sun had yet to rise when Penelope suddenly jolted awake in a cold sweat. Despite being exhausted, it seemed that she was still able to be plagued by nightmares. Now sitting upright in her bed, she swept her gaze over her surrondings, trying to slow her panicked breathing. She quickly came to grips with reality.

It seemed William and Abraxas were still fast asleep. One of them was even snoring rather obnoxiously. The room was otherwise dark and quiet for the time being. She let out a steady breath, the nightmare still hung much too heavily in her mind for her to simply go back to sleep. Penelope slowly slipped off her bed, trying to be silent as she moved. She was headed towards the door. Perhaps some fresh air would help.

Crow stretched and wriggled on the floor while the knights began removing their armor, trying to find a comfortable position at the foot of the bed so that he wouldn’t wake up sore. He was vexed that William had the nerve to treat him like a dog, but since he was already here, he decided he might as well get some sleep. Unfortunately, his noble companions were making that task more difficult than it needed to be. The sound of their clanking metal plates would have kept even the heaviest sleeper awake.

He rolled onto his stomach, half tangled in the fleece blanket, and propped himself up on his elbows to watch the knights with an impatient look on his face. Naturally, William ignored him, but Abraxas became self-conscious. He nodded apologetically at the thief and hurried to take off his armor more quickly, managing to drop both of his vambraces in the process. Crow rolled his eyes. The boy was the clumsiest knight he’d ever seen. He wondered why he had chosen by the king to be part of this assignment in the first place.

Having focused most of his annoyance on the other men, he turned next to Penelope and then froze. During the time he had been staring at her comrades, she had removed all of her armor and let her hair down. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought he was looking at a different woman. His green eyes lingered on her figure. Without her uniform on, she was much smaller than he’d thought, and she was even… well… feminine. He wasn’t sure why that surprised him, but even though she was wearing loose clothes, he could see the edges of attractive curves he hadn’t previously known existed. It surprised him that a woman as lithe as her had chosen to enter the king’s army.

When Penelope glanced at the men’s half of the room, Crow quickly averted his gaze, busying himself by adjusting the blanket William had given him and rolling onto his side. What did it matter if Penelope wasn’t as stocky as he’d thought? She was still his guard, and she still had the training of a proper knight. As far as he was concerned, she was still just an obstacle he needed to get past so he could escape back to the outer villages. He closed his eyes. If anything, he should have been pleased that she was softer than he’d expected. Now it would be easier for him to keep up his act of winning her over, because he could better imagine what she looked like underneath her armor when he was pretending to be interested in her.

With that thought in his mind, Crow drifted off to sleep.

--

From a young age, Crow had learned that sleeping deeply could be a life-threatening hazard. There were always knights and bounty hunters around who had been after the reward that the king had put on his head, so he had trained himself to be a light sleeper. The habit had kept him alive on a number of occasions, when his enemies had stumbled upon his hideout and he’d needed to escape quickly.

Tonight, it meant he was instantly awoken by the faint sound of creaking floorboards.

He opened one eye to see a shadowy figure moving silently towards the door and tensed instinctively. However, after a moment, he recognized the figure to be Penelope, so he relaxed again and lifted his head curiously. She looked like she was going somewhere.

“Pst,” Crow hissed, carefully sitting up from where he had been laying on the floor. Aware of each minute movement he made, he managed to keep his chains from rattling as he confronted the knight. “Where do you think you’re going?” he whispered, seeking her eyes in the darkness.

Penelope turned on her heels as she heard Crow. She hadn't been expecting anyone to bother her and she was still a bit jumpy from the dream. As a natural reflex, her hand went to her side where her sword would normally be attached, of course nothing was there.

Soon she realized it was only Crow. She quickly became less tense and rolled her eyes at the thief. "Don't talk to me as if I'm the prisoner here." she muttered sourly. She made sure to keep her voice low, not wanting to disturb the others. Penelope paused before giving him an actual answer. "I was going to step outside for a bit." she added crossing her arms over her chest.

Her gaze briefly look over at the other two sleeping knights before returning to Crow. "Anyways, just go back to sleep.... There's still a good amount of time before we need to be up." she advised.

Crow smirked when Penelope whirled around and grasped at the air by her hip where she had been carrying her sword before. He found it amusing that he could startle the knight like that, even if it only lasted for moment. However, he didn’t dwell on it for long when she answered his question defensively and told him to go back to sleep. Whatever she was doing, it was clear that she didn’t want him to come with her. It wasn’t shocking. She might have shown him a semblance of friendliness at dinner, but he was still a peasant and a thief that she had been charged with guarding. If she had opened up to him about her midnight walk right away, it would have been astounding.

Still, he wasn’t going to give up that easily. “I napped on the way here,” he frowned in response to her order, sitting up slightly straighter on the floor. “I’ve had plenty of rest. Besides, you’re the one who woke me up in the first place.” Quietly, he tossed his blanket aside and indicated the table on the far side of the room with a tilt of his head. “Take me with you. William put the key to my chain over there.”

Since he was already up, he didn’t feel like going back to sleep right away; but that wasn’t the only reason why he wanted to leave the room. It was also the perfect opportunity for him to steal some alone time with Penelope. If he played his cards right, he might be able to work on his plan to trick her into relaxing her guard around him. He couldn’t pass up the chance to move his plan along, especially when they would reach the outer villages in just a few days at the most. Given the way the knight had been watching him so closely, there was no way he would be able to escape without getting caught. He needed to change that.

“I swear I won’t try to run off,” Crow simpered at her and placed one hand over his heart in a sincere gesture. “I’ve never been to this village before, so I wouldn’t get very far, even if I wanted to. You could even bring your sword if it will make you feel better.” His eyes flicked toward the bed he was chained to when he suddenly heard one of the other knights stir. After a moment everything was calm again, and he turned back to Penelope with a pleading look on his face, whispering softly, “Please? I promise I’ll behave.”

Penelope eyed him coldly. It seemed wise to just leave him where he was. It would be a lot more peaceful that way too. But just like him, she found it could be a good opportunity for her own plan to trick him. With a reluctant sigh, she gave a curt nod. "Fine." she hissed under her breath. The knight moved quietly across the room and picked up the key from the table.

She walked back up to Crow and unlocked the chain with the key. However, he didn't get a chance to be free from the metal cuff. Penelope swiftly closed it on his wrist again before he could pull away and took the other end which had been attached to the bed and locked it on her own wrist. She gave a very stern look. "It's much too early in the morning for me to be worrying about if you're going to take off or not." she mumbled to justify her actions.

She silently put away the key in the pocket of her pants. At least this way she didn't have to lug around her sword or armor quite yet. Though, if she did need something to protect herself, there was always the dagger she kept hidden in her right boot.

"Come on.." Penelope said. It was about then that she realized how close the chain forced them to be. It was an uncomfortable feeling but she didn't let this show and instead focused her gaze forward as she headed towards the door to leave.

Crow stifled a grin as Penelope gave in and grabbed the key from off the table and quietly unlocked his chain cuff from the bedpost. To his amusement, she attached it to her own wrist so they were bound together. He raised a brow at her curiously. That was a bold move. Physically, he was stronger than she was, and if he wanted to turn on her when they were alone, the chain would put her at an even further disadvantage by hindering her movement and preventing her from getting away. He would have thought it would be simpler to just bring a sword if she wanted to keep him in line. But there was no changing the woman’s mind once she had made it up, so he kept his opinion to himself.

“It’s much too early in the morning for me to be worrying about if you’re going to take off or not,” Penelope murmured in her defense.

“Right,” Crow drawled sarcastically, rising to his feet. Standing so close to her now, he snuck a glance at her face. It was hard to tell in the darkness, but it seemed like she was uncomfortable being chained to him. It’s like she thinks she’s going to catch a criminal bug or something, he thought irritably.

He followed the knight as she stepped towards the door. It was then that the thief realized another plus to their little midnight adventure. It would give him an opportunity to practice his stealth. Back in prison, he hadn’t had much room to work on his movement techniques. Fortunately, much of it had become habit, but he still felt a bit rusty. He wasn’t quite as light-footed as he used to be, and he even managed to step on a loose floorboard before he exited the room. He winced at the soft creak it made. A year ago, he never would have made such a careless mistake.

Once they were outside, Crow held up his chained wrist and winked at Penelope, “You know, you could have just asked to hold my hand if you want me to stay beside you. That would have been much more comfortable than this wretched piece of metal.” He shook his head and sighed.

“Anyway,” He glanced at her mischievously and leaned forward in a bow. “Where would m’lady like to go tonight?”

Penelope rolled her eyes at Crow in a very uncaring way as he complained about the chain. "Be grateful I even let you come with me." she grumbled. "I dunno." she began to answer him but not before shooting a glare his way as he referred to her as m'lady again. She let out a soft sigh and began to travel down the hallway at a rather slow pace. She felt no reason to rush anywhere, not even with the fact she was stuck with Crow.

"I just wanted to step outside for bit, I guess." she said in a calm tone as she looked ahead as they walked. There was a small paused before she asked, "Did you have some place in mind that you want to go to?" Penelope quickly shot him a cold look before he could reply. "Within reason of course." If she could prevent some sarcastic or otherwise teasing reply from him then she would.

It was strange but Penelope was slowly coming to accept his company perhaps even enjoy it though she wouldn't allow herself to admit it. He definitely made the mission more interesting as well as more difficult.