Crow nodded when Penelope said they could try to find time alone when they stopped for a break or when they reached the inn. Although he wanted to tell her about the mercenary sooner rather than later, he supposed it wasn’t an immediately pressing issue. They were still inside the bounds of the inner kingdom, so if there were any enemies who would try to stop them, they would be hard pressed to strike while there were so many other knights posted in and around the cities. The danger wouldn’t come until after they traveled too far to call for aid if the paid killers made an appearance. There was still plenty of time until then.

He parted his lips to agree to the knight’s plan when his sister interrupted them again. He exhaled in mild annoyance. They had been joking that he was the one who needed a babysitter, but it seemed like the princess needed someone to look after her more than anyone else. She couldn’t even go five minutes without pestering them out of boredom. He turned around in his saddle again to cast her an unamused frown, “How did you ever get through an entire guard shift at the castle if you can’t even stop talking for part of a trip?”

“Tybalt usually gives me a post with someone else,” she mirrored his expression. “I just talk to them until it’s over.”

So you’re spoiled, he thought dryly, though he kept the observation to himself. It wasn’t surprising anyway. After he’d learned more about the way Albin raised his children—or at least the ones he had kept—he’d had a feeling that Naida hadn’t been exposed to many situations in which she didn’t get her way. The trip they were on now was going to better for her than he’d thought, since her eyes would be opened to the reality that the whole kingdom didn’t revolve around her.

“Why don’t you try paying attention to your surroundings instead of talking with us?” he suggested, turning around to look ahead again. “That’s what guards are supposed to do, after all.”

“You’re just trying to exclude me again,” Naida accused him suspiciously.

“I’m not,” he assured her. “I just think you need to learn how to be comfortable with silence.” He glanced over his shoulder at Percival. “Maybe Percy could teach you.”

The knight’s eyes widened slightly, clearly unexcited about the prospect of trying to convince the princess to keep her mouth shut, and Crow offered him an apologetic smile.

“Not right now,” his sister shook her head. “Penelope is only going to be traveling with us for a couple days. I want to talk to her for as long as I can before she’s gone.” She winked at him playfully. “You may be marrying her, but she’s my best friend.”

Penelope turned her head to look over her shoulder at Naida as her friend interrupt before Crow could respond. While she normally didn't mind her friend wanting to talk, she was beginning to think she'd make it difficult for them to speak privately. She was very curious to hear what Crow had to say and hoped that Naida's current behavior wouldn't continue into the time they needed to talk. The knight tuned back into the conversation as Naida winked playfully at Crow.

Deciding to try and keep the mood light, she shot Naida an amused smirk. "Well actually Naida, Crow's technically my best friend." she pointed out. "So your argument is invalid."

"What? You're in a relationship so that doesn't count!" Naida protested.

"Why not? We may be romantically involved but we were also friends first." Penelope shrugged her shoulders and casted the viceroy a small smile. "Not everyone ends up with the best friend after all."

Naida rolled her eyes. "Alright fine but I'm still your best friend that you're not going to marry."

"I'll agree to that." Penelope laughed. Her smile slowly faded as the knight looked back ahead, eying their surroundings over once more. "But it would be a good idea for you to start working on working on watching your surroundings. Just because I'm here doesn't mean we should be slacking off. Especially since this is going to be your first mission out of the inner kingdom."

Crow sighed when Naida continued to stubbornly insist on talking instead of keeping watch. At the moment, her determination didn’t matter too much, since he and Penelope could speak about private matters later and the risk of danger was exceedingly low within the region of the inner kingdom. However, he hoped she wouldn’t keep refusing to do her part when they got closer to the border. After Penelope’s reminder of the mercenaries that had attacked them the last time, he wanted all of his guards to be on alert in case their unknown enemy tried to attack them again during this trip.

Listening to the two knights’ conversation though, his concerns gave way to amusement. As Penelope corrected the princess that he was her best friend, he casted her an affectionate smile, warmed by the sentiment. Of course, the same went for him, but it felt more significant coming from her, since she was surrounded by so many other people who cared about her. He only had a few people in his life whom he even considered friends, so there wasn’t much competition for the spot of a friend he valued above all others.

“She’s right, you know,” he chimed in when Penelope reiterated that his sister should start taking her job more seriously. “We’re not going on this trip for fun. It can be fun along the way, but I asked the king to include you so you could gain experience as a guard outside the citadel. That means actually guarding us.”

“Fine,” Naida groaned in defeat. “But I don’t see the point. We’re not even close to Younis, so there’s nothing to look out for.”

“Think of it as practice,” Crow shrugged, deciding not to say anything about the possibility of mercenaries in Brerra yet.

Fortunately, the princess finally gave in and started to let her gaze wander dully over the trees as they got further from the citadel. The viceroy could tell that she wasn’t invested in keeping watch, but it was better than nothing, so he didn’t complain. Instead, his thoughts wandered back to his old companions on the border, whom he still wanted to visit but wasn’t sure how. Their route to Younis didn’t come close to the thieves’ camp, and he doubted the knights would just accept a change that would add an entire day to their trip. His eyes drifted back to Penelope. As much as he wanted to stay with her until the last moment, he wondered if it would be better to part ways in Wellspring, so that she could get to his companions before he reached Silverpool and let them know that he was in the area. It was something he would have to ask her about when they were alone.

The first half of the ride went by without any trouble, and at Crow’s declaration that he was hungry, the group stopped for a break to eat lunch around high noon. After being constantly ignored and disregarded during his last trip to Younis, the former thief was pleased that the knights had to listen to him this time. He slid down from Baine’s back and stretched, trying not to get too stiff from riding since they had quite a long way to go. Preston did the same as he dropped to the ground from his horse and dug in his saddlebags for their food. Most of the rations were bread, fruit and dried meat, but it was enough to fill the viceroy’s stomach, so he was content.

“I have to say, so far I like this much better than our assignment two years ago,” he said with a lopsided smile at Penelope. “There’s no more strict guard telling me when I can and can’t eat.”

Penelope relaxed a little as Naida finally folded to watching her surroundings thanks to Crow's additional push. Even though the other female knight wasn't as committed to keeping her guard up, she was just glad that they had convinced her friend to keep an eye out. Knowing they were all staying alert to some degree lessened the knight's concern about getting attacked, though she still kept her own guard up as they continued to travel. Luckily the first have of their trip went by without a hitch. She knew that didn't mean it would stay like that for the rest of their journey but at the very least, they a bit of peace.

As they came to a stop after Crow's declaration of hunger, she directed her horse to a halt and dismounted the stead. Back on her own feet, she gave a small stretch to fight off the stiffness that was beginning to set in from riding. It was perhaps the one thing she missed about being able to travel by wagon but at least it was better than traveling by foot. Her gaze flickered over to Crow as the viceroy spoke up. At his teasing words about how she had been when they first met, she rolled her eyes.

"In my defense, we had far smaller rations to feed that bottomless pit of yours." she smirked, poking his side. The knight crossed her arms over her chest and gave a thoughtful look. "Although I have to agree with you. Not having to constantly watch a rather annoying thief is certainly nice." she added nudging his side playfully.

"Finally a break!" Naida exclaimed as she moved to sit down on a flat boulder nearby. Her gaze flickered over to the couple and she gestured for them to join her. "Riding in silence is so dull."

Penelope walked over to join her friend, leaning back against a nearby tree. After traveling on a horse, the knight wanted to keep on her feet rather than sitting down. "You get used to it after a while." the knight shrugged her shoulders. Penelope shot her friend an amused smirk. "It's not the worst thing in the world to keep quiet, you know."

“I had just gotten out of prison, love. What did you expect?” Crow rolled his eyes when Penelope teased him about his eating habits. “I needed to put back on all the weight I had lost when my old guards cut my portions.” The trip to Younis was by far the worst condition he’d been in throughout his life. Even when he’d been orphaned in the outer villages, he’d become a skilled enough thief to steal all the food he needed to satisfy his appetite. It was why he could boast a more impressive height than most other peasant men who were underfed during that crucial growing period in their youths. However, with grander stature came a grander hunger that took more food to quell. At least, that was what he had concluded when comparing his appetite to others’.

“I think you enjoyed watching this annoying thief,” he grinned at Penelope and planted a kiss on her cheek. Reflecting on their past, it amused him to think about just how much they had gotten under each other’s skin when they’d first met. If someone had told him that he would fall head over heels for the knight who had initially been the embodiment of everything he despised about the noble class, he would have laughed in their face. Now, two years later, he couldn’t imagine his life without her by his side, and he’d given up everything to ensure that he’d never have to find out what that would be like.

When Naida exclaimed about the break, Crow turned toward her and shook his head. Despite her complaining, he was impressed that she had managed to make it the rest of the ride without clamoring for attention again. It showed some growth on her part, and he hoped she would continue to work on it when they were back on the road.

Following Penelope over to join the princess, he sat down in the grass at her feet. The other three knights strode over to join them as well. Percival sat on a fallen tree on Naida’s other side while the Therouldes both remained standing across from them.

“You’re quiet most of the time,” Naida stuck her tongue out at her friend as they conversed. “I find silence torturous.”

“That’s because your head is so empty, there’s nothing in there to keep you occupied,” Crow snickered.

His sister turned to him with wide eyes, taken aback by the comment. After a moment, she folded her arms over her chest indignantly. “Ha ha, very funny,” she drawled.

“I think I am,” the viceroy shrugged, turning away from her as Preston brought him his ration for lunch. Unlike the first trip, there was plenty of food to keep him full and satisfied on the journey to Younis. “Why don’t you sit down?” he said to the attendant, patting the ground beside him. “This break is for you too.”

Preston’s eyes flicked toward Otto, and he quickly shook his head, “I’m still on duty.”

Crow frowned. It was out of character for the boy to treat him so stiffly, and he wondered if the baron’s words had gotten to him. Either way, he didn’t care what the older man thought of their unorthodox master-servant relationship, so he changed his approach. “Alright then. Sit down and rest. That’s an order,” he rephrased with a knowing smirk.

Preston hesitated for a moment longer before he nodded and planted himself by the viceroy’s side. Though he acted nonchalant, Crow could hear a quiet breath of relief escape through the boy’s nose.

“So,” Naida turned back to Penelope, too full of pent-up energy to let their conversation drop so soon. “You’re going to see Gavin when you get back to the battalion, right? Is that going to be weird now that you’re being courted by someone else?”

Penelope rolled her eyes as Naida pointed out she was usually quiet anyways. She was about to defend herself when Crow piped in. His comment made the knight smirk amusedly as Naida reacted so unamusedly to the teasing insult. As the others spoke, she glanced briefly over their surroundings before her gaze shifted over to Preston as the servant refused to sit down at first. Though she wasn't overly familiar with the attendant, she did pick up on his brief glance at Otto, making her wonder if she had missed something between the two. However, the knight quickly let it go as Crow insisted on his attendant taking a seat and instead her focus drifted back over to Naida as her friend questioned her about Gavin.

She paused and then shook her head. "I don't think so. I mean, he knows we're just friends now and I've kept in contact with him this whole time anyways." she pointed out with shrug.

"You think?" Naida raised an eyebrow and then her eyes suddenly widened in alarm. "What if he's still hoping to win you back?" A hint of genuine concern crossed over her face that made the knight have to stifle a chuckle. "Especially since your actual suitor won't be around, it'd be the perfect time for him to try!"

"I seriously doubt that, Naida." Penelope said rolling her eyes at her friend's rather dramatic thoughts. "Gavin respects my decision to cut off our courtship and more than that, he's fully aware now that he can't 'win me back'. I'm just hoping there's been enough time apart for us to be friends." She asserted with a small smile.

Despite Naida seeming worried that her former suitor still posed a threat, Penelope was more confident than ever that Gavin had given up. He had seemed to finally respect her decision as well as Crow the last time they had been face to face so the knight doubted things would be that weird between them. If anything, she was looking forward to them being the opposite. She may not have loved Gavin like she had Crow but she hoped to further develop an friendship with him and put their past courtship behind them.

"I guess so.." Naida mused thoughtfully. She paused and then glanced towards Crow. "What do you think? I mean, you met Gavin before so you must have some sort of opinion on this."

As Naida questioned Penelope about her former suitor, Crow turned his attention to his lunch. Once upon a time, hearing talk of Gavin would have gotten his back up, but the knight hadn’t posed a threat to them in months. He was confident in his relationship with Penelope, and now that he was a nobleman too, he was no longer insecure about dragging her down with him by being together. As far as he was concerned, her ex suitor wasn’t someone he needed to worry about anymore.

So, when Naida asked him what he thought, he looked up at her with a noncommittal shrug. “I don’t know,” he said, swallowing a mouthful of bread. “He was still getting over Penelope that last time I saw him, but he didn’t seem like he was going to keep trying to win her back. Either way, I trust her, so it doesn’t matter what he does.” He tilted his head back to cast the knight a fond smile. Even if it turned out that Gavin hadn’t given up on her, he knew she wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. She’d already proven that after she’d turned away every other man who had attempted to woo her at the castle.

Naida studied them for a moment longer and then shook her head amusedly. “This is still so weird, knowing you two have been together for so long. It still feels new and fragile to me since I just found out a couple days ago.”

“It’s what we had to do,” Crow reiterated, leaning sideways to rest against Penelope’s leg and grinning at his sister good humoredly. “But I promise you don’t have anything to worry about, O controlling one.”

“You’re cheeky today,” the princess snorted, though a smirk tugged at the corner of her lip.

“I’m in a good mood,” the viceroy explained, lifting his shoulders innocently. “It feels great to finally get out of that stifling castle.”

“Hear hear,” Naida lifted her water flask with a laugh. At her side, Percival nodded in wordless agreement.

Crow took another bite of his lunch, keeping Otto and Rayner in the corner of his eye as he ate. The two knights were rather quiet throughout the discussion, but they looked like they were paying attention. The baron’s eyes were fixated on them, and his expression was as unreadable as always. The former thief wondered what was going on inside his head.

Penelope return his fond smile with one of her own. Even though she had already known them to be true, she was warmed by the words, especially after all they had both gone through with other men and women attempting to win them over. As he leaned into her leg, she rested a hand on top of his head, affectionately brushing back his hair while he teased Naida once more. She pulled her hand back and crossed her arms over her chest, smiling faintly as they all agreed to be happy about getting out of the castle.

The knight, however, wasn't as quick to agree. She merely flashed a small smile. While the moment was enjoyable, she was still worried that the rest of the trip wouldn't be. Not to mention she wasn't exactly thrilled to be returning to the warfront. She may not have been out there as long as others but she had been there long enough to know exactly how gruesome it could be. Penelope hoped her plan to convince the barons to only act defensively would help lessen the death and destruction.

The worries reminded her that Crow still wished to talk alone. Her gaze flickered over the group as they all took their break and noted that it likely wouldn't be much longer until they would need to get back on the road. Penelope waited a bit, noticing Crow was still finishing up his food, before she stretched her arms and stepped away from the tree before anyone could suggest they start to pack up once more.

"Well, I think I'm going to go take a walk before we go." she announced. "If I'm going to be stuck riding until the evening I'd prefer to be prepared for it."

"Just don't take long." Otto advised, turning his head to look over at her as she spoke up. "We need to get moving soon."

Though his tone was much softer than William's had been when pushing them forward, Penelope detected there was underlying tone of warning. Which likely meant he didn't plan on waiting up for her. "Of course." she said dipping her head to the baron as she moved to step away from the group, casting a brief glance towards Crow.

As Crow finished his food, he continued to lean against Penelope’s leg, enjoying her presence. Since they would be parting soon, he wanted to be with her as much as he could before the inevitable split. He knew that once she was gone, he would miss being able to spend time with her during the weeks in which they would be away from each other. Her warmth was also comforting against the cool air that surrounded them. On the road, it hadn’t been terrible because they had been riding beneath direct sunlight, but in the shade of the trees, he began to find it harder not to shiver as the break went on.

So, when the knight stepped away, the viceroy felt himself tip slightly to the side and looked up at her bemusedly. For half a second, he was confused about why she suddenly felt the need to take a walk when she was usually the more focused one between the two of them on trips like this. However, he realized what she was doing just before she subtly signaled to him with her gaze. He shifted his weight, still hesitant to bring up the mercenary he’d seen in Bellmare when he knew it would probably just worry her more. Unfortunately, he’d already committed to doing so when he had mentioned it to her during the ride. He took a steeling breath and climbed to his feet.

“Hold on. I’m coming with you,” he announced, taking a step after her.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Otto asked with a warning edge to his voice. “I don’t think it would be wise of you to stray from your guards, Lockton.”

“We’re still not far from the citadel,” Crow justified and then smirked. “Besides, Penelope is frightening with a sword. I feel just as safe with her as I do with all four of you.” He turned away from the baron to continue after the knight, indicating that he wasn’t going to change his mind on the subject. “We won’t be long.”

“If you’re both going, I want to come too!” Naida jumped up from her boulder.

Crow cleared his throat, “Actually, I’d prefer to spend a few minutes alone with her.” He tilted his head toward Penelope and offered his sister an apologetic smile. “Just this once, okay?”

The princess scrunched her face, as if she was considering arguing with him. After a moment, she exhaled and sat back down, “Fine, but you owe me.”

“Fair enough,” he agreed. With the rest of the group off their backs, he reached for the lieutenant’s hand and laced his fingers with hers, walking into the trees to put distance between them and the others.

Penelope was relieved that the viceroy was quick to pick up on her subtle hint and she paused as he got up to join her. She paused at the edge of the clearing as she waited for him to join her. Her gaze flickered briefly over to Otto as the baron tried to advise against him leaving behind his guards. While the knight might normally have agreed, she didn't appreciate the sentiment at the moment. Luckily the baron didn't further insist on Crow sticking with his guards. Just as they seem free to catch a moment alone though, Naida piped in just as the knight had worried.

At least, this time they could actually use their relationship as an excuse to be alone. The knight bit back an amused smile and gladly took his hand in hers. She began to walk off with him, waiting until they were out of earshot to cast Crow a smirk. "Well I never thought I'd see the day we'd use our relationship as an excuse to be alone rather than trying to find a lie instead." she mused. After all the times they had snuck off to be together, she found it a bit ironic that the one time they could admit to wanting time alone was really just so they could sneak off to discuss other matters.

She gave his hand a small squeeze. The knight glanced over her shoulder to make sure they were out of eyesight of the rest of the group before coming to a stop and turning to face him. As she looked up at him, she paused before leaning up to press a kiss to his lips. Even though she was a bit anxious to find out what he had been meaning to tell her, she couldn't help but also be glad to have the short moment alone with him. They might have finally been able to court properly but they were still always in the public eye and moments alone were usually rare. Not to mention they'd be separating soon enough.

"Sorry," she mumbled with a sheepish smile as she pulled back from the kiss, knowing she shouldn't have let herself get so easily distracted. Clearing her throat, she met his gaze with a more serious expression. "What was it that you wanted to talk about?"

As he and Penelope walked away from the group, Crow smiled to himself, pleased that he could have a few minutes to be alone with her without any interruptions. His reservations about admitting he might have seen a mercenary in the inner kingdom still left him somewhat tense, but his anxiousness was eased by the warmth of her hand in his. “It is backwards, isn’t it?” he mused with a short laugh when she pointed out the irony in their excuse to get away. He hadn’t thought about it, but she was right. Usually, they were scrambling for a reason to be alone because of their relationship rather than the other way around.

Feeling the knight come to a stop at his side, he turned to face her just as she leaned in to press a kiss to his lips. He hadn’t expected her to use the time to steal an intimate moment with him, but regardless, he didn’t skip a beat. Wrapping his arms around her back, he closed his eyes and deepened the kiss, his heart fluttering with excitement at her spontaneity.

When she pulled back again, he grinned at her breathlessly. “Don’t be,” he said in response to her apology. In his opinion, there was rarely a time when apologetic words were in order for something like that. They might not have had more than a few minutes to themselves, but the other members of their party thought they had escaped to be alone for this very purpose anyway. There was no harm in indulging themselves a little.

At her following question his smile faded, and he averted his gaze, letting his arms drop from around her. “Right,” he started slowly, contemplating his choice of words. After hearing the worry in her voice when they had discussed the dangers of the mission earlier, he didn’t want to frighten her by making it sound like he thought he was being stalked or anything like that. However, there was no good way to say it without being dishonest, so he let out his breath.

“With all the work we’ve been doing to end the war, I forgot all about this,” he said quietly, turning back to her to meet her eyes. “But… when we were in the marketplace in Bellmare, I… I might have seen a mercenary.” He reached up to rub the back of his neck. “It was when we parted so you could buy your dress. I was looking at a different stand, and I had a feeling someone was watching me. When I looked up, I saw a man in the crowd who had similar features as the mercenaries who attacked us in Younis.

“I’m not completely certain about this,” he added quickly. “I mean, he could have just been a tall man running his own errands who happened to recognize me. I’ve always been stared at a lot because of my reputation. I just… There was something about him that made me think he wasn’t there for innocent purposes.” He grimaced. “But then Preston told me about a knight in the castle who’s had nightmares like I have. He thought one of the castle guards was an enemy and tried to kill him, and now I don’t know what to think. I’d like to believe I’m not seeing things, but I’m not sure if I can trust myself.”

He bit his lip, uncomfortable with opening up so much even though he knew he could trust Penelope with the information. “It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? A mercenary in the inner kingdom? And if he was really at the market, there’s no reason why he should have singled me out, right? This was before my father changed his mind about negotiating with Gorm.” A faint tremor in his voice belied his fear that he was losing his mind. “I don’t know. I just thought that if there’s even a sliver of a chance that what I saw was real, I should say something.”

Penelope looked up at him expectantly as she waited for him to say whatever he had been holding back. As he admitted to potentially having spotted a mercenary in Bellmare, the knight's eyes widened in alarm and she stiffened slightly. She shifted uneasily as Crow went on to voice his own uncertainty of what he had seen. She caught the faint tremor in his voice, frowning concernedly as she looked up at him. As much as she wanted to comfort him right away, the knight had to take a moment to think over what he had just told her.

For a moment, she considered what Preston had said about the knight. Since she had never experienced such dreams herself, it was difficult for her to judge whether or not it was even a possibility that Crow had imagined the man he had seen at the market. It didn't make sense to her though. She had seen how badly the nightmares had affected the viceroy upon waking up first hand but once he overcame his initial panic, he seemed fine if not just sleep deprived. And by the time they had gone to Bellmare, he seemed to have been doing better after she had spoken with Tybalt. With all that in mind, Penelope found herself doubting that the man at the market was just someone he imagined. However, she couldn't fully rule out possible paranoia. The man may have actually been there but just sharing similar features to someone else didn't make him a mercenary.

But was it really all that crazy to think there was a mercenary in the inner kingdom? After Toreus and Aeklora's warnings, it sounded like there was still a great danger lurking in the shadows of all this. She was worried about them being under attack for that reason after all and it didn't sound as far fetched to her as Crow seemed to think it was.

Having decided on that much, she stepped forward to wrap her arms around his middle. "You were right to say something." she assured. "I don't think you imagined him... I mean, your nightmares were bad but they only seemed to affect you right after waking up aside from depriving you of sleep of course. The knight that attacked the guard probably imagined him to be an enemy from the war he fought in. If they started to enter your day to day life, wouldn't it make more sense for you to be seeing Jaxon or knights that attacked you rather than mercenaries?" She pointed out, recalling what his dreams had consisted of.

Penelope paused in her words and let out a small sigh. "That doesn't mean he was a mercenary though.. He could have just been a man running errands like you said. Perhaps his looks just made you think he seemed sinister because of our past experiences." Though she was pointing out something that seemed logical, there was conviction lacking in her words. The knight was already leaning towards believing him, reminded of her own worries about the potential dangers his journey to Younis held, but she had to try to keep a level head and remind them both that there was a possibility this man hadn't been more than another customer at the market.

"Personally though, I don't think it sounds as crazy as you might think." she mumbled, pressing a little closer to him as her nervousness sparked up again only this time a bit stronger after hearing possible confirmation of mercenaries in their kingdom. "The mercenaries we face back in Younis had tracked us for a long time, probably to Younis and back, considering how much the first one knew about us and how much further in the last group attacked. Two gods have warned each of us about another threat... Another war and more destruction. That means there's some threat out there that's been in hiding for over two years and it's still coming.

"It might have been before your father settled on peace but he was still planning on how to reach the war's end." Penelope pointed out. "That probably would have gotten in the way of whatever their plan is. The only reason we know it wouldn't stop them as much as peace is because a god told me otherwise. I think it's all too possible that man you saw could have been a mercenary." She shook her head, feeling a chill run up her spine at her own words. "You need to be careful on this trip."

When Penelope responded to him at first with silence, Crow shifted his weight uneasily. He wasn’t sure what could be going through her head, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know since every option seemed terrible. If he had imagined the mercenary in Bellmare, it meant he couldn’t trust his own eyes anymore, and he might become a danger to the other members of the group. He shuddered at the thought of mistaking Percival or Rayner for an enemy and reacting before anyone could stop him. He didn’t want to accidentally hurt anyone.

On the flip side, if he had actually seen a mercenary in the marketplace, then that meant it was possible that he was being watched again. He remembered the things the previous killer had said just as well as Penelope did. During their first trip to Younis, the mercenaries had been tracking them for weeks to sniff out their weaknesses before they finally struck. The thought of that happening again caused a chill to run up his spine. He had more guards this time, but that didn’t negate the fact that mercenaries always seemed to wait to attack until they felt confident that they could take down their targets. Two years ago, the murderers had almost succeeded on two occasions.

The viceroy absently lifted a hand to his side, where the scar from one of the killers’ daggers still decorated his torso. They had narrowly escaped with their lives both times, and both times their success had to be attributed to luck. There was no guarantee that their luck would hold out for another round of ambushes.

Suddenly, Crow blinked when Penelope threw her arms around his middle. As she stated that she didn’t think he’d imagined the man in Bellmare, he winced. There was no good answer either way, but hearing one of the options confirmed wasn’t much better than staying in the dark. At least there was one positive if she was right though: He wouldn’t have to worry about inadvertently turning on the people who were close to him on this journey. Thinking about it more thoroughly, he realized that she had some good points too. Whenever his nightmares had taken hold, he’d always had visions of knights and bandits. Mercenaries had never made an appearance in the theatre of his mind, so it was unlikely that he would have conjured one up at the marketplace when it hadn’t happened before.

Relaxing ever so slightly, he returned her embrace, slipping his arms around her back to hold her close. Her assurance that it was possible that the man he’d seen had been innocent wasn’t very convincing to him. The lurker hadn’t looked Brerratic. He had been tall and imposing with the same brawny build as the killers they’d fought against in Younis. By contrast, their own people weren’t usually so brick-like. Even though it was still possible that the man hadn’t been there for malicious purposes, the viceroy wouldn’t give him the benefit of the doubt as long as they had so little information on him.

At Penelope’s last words, Crow chewed contemplatively on the inside of his cheek. As unsettling as it was, she was right that his father had been trying to end the war on his own terms when they had visited Bellmare. Back then, there had been too many witnesses around for a mercenary to make a move, but now, they were in a small group that would be far easier to overpower. If the man he’d seen had been biding his time, he might not keep waiting in the shadows for much longer. Reflexively, his eyes swept over the trees around them, as if there were enemies stalking them at that very moment.

“I promise you, I will,” he said in a soft voice, pressing his lips to her head in a long kiss. Knowing that she believed he had seen a real mercenary, his guard had climbed back up to its full height. He wouldn’t let it back down until they completed the assignment and returned to the safety of the castle. After all, he hadn’t come this far in both the war and his relationship with the knight just to have his life snuffed out before he could see things through to the end.

As he held her, another thought came to him, and he let out his breath in a resigned sigh. “Do you think I should tell the others about him?” he murmured, pulling back just enough to meet her gaze with a frown.

Penelope relaxed against him as he pressed a kiss to her head. Despite her heighten worry about the likelihood of an attack— or multiple if it was anything like their first mission—she was comforted by his touch and his promise to remain safe. She hoped that his sighting of the possible mercenary was at least enough for them to be one step ahead if and when the man attacked. Before, they hadn't been prepared for any such thing so the knight could only hope to learn from past mistakes. As he pulled back to meet her gaze, she blinked as he asked her about telling the others.

She opened her mouth to say yes, as that seemed to be the best thing to do to make sure everyone was as prepared as he was. However, she second thought herself and closed her mouth again. Even though it would be good to give them a word of warning, the knight was worried they wouldn't take him seriously. If she hadn't been visited by Toreus, there was a chance she would have dismissed his claims rather than believing them.

"I... I don't think you should." she finally replied with a small frown. "I believe you because of the warning I received from Toreus.. The others would probably think you're just imagining things." The knight pursed her lips together as she thought over the situation. Even though she disliked the idea of telling them about the mysterious man Crow had seen, she couldn't help but wish there was a way for them to alert the others without them dismissing Crow. However, as she took the moment to mull it over, an idea came to mind.

"Perhaps we should tell them our theories over where the staff disappeared to and the mercenaries being against the war's end though. They may not take it as seriously as we do but at least they would have it in their heads to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary." Penelope explained to him with a hopeful look.

Crow stared at Penelope in thinly veiled surprise when she said that she didn’t think he should tell the others about the mercenary in the inner kingdom. Her answer wasn’t what he had expected it to be. Usually, he was the one between the two of them who had a bad habit of keeping secrets and withholding information from others, and she was the one who would reprimand him for putting them at a disadvantage. When he’d asked her if he should tell the other knights about the possible threat, he had thought she would push him to do it.

However, as she explained that they probably wouldn’t believe him if he tried to fill them in, he averted his gaze with a grimace. Among the rest of the group, Preston was the only other person who knew about his recurring nightmares, and he doubted the attendant would tell anyone else after he’d asked him to keep quiet about the issue. Naida would probably trust him because they had grown close over the past month, but the other three were still wildcards—especially the Therouldes. He had never met Rayner before, and Otto struck him as the type to take the things he heard with a grain of salt. As a member of Albin’s council, he would likely be hesitant to believe that a mercenary had punctured the inner kingdom’s defense, because it would reflect poorly on their reigning monarch.

With the other guards’ opinions up in the air, he supposed the compromise that Penelope came up with was their best option. “It’s better than nothing,” he agreed with a halfhearted shrug. Although he’d never had any intention to bring up the mercenary to the others, it vexed him that his word still carried so little weight to at least half the other nobles in their party. It would have been much easier if he could simply tell them that they might be in danger and receive promises that they would all keep a lookout for anything unusual along the way. Instead, he and the knight were back to playing games to nudge the rest of their comrades in the right direction without really announcing what was going on.

Trailing his hands down the length of her arms, Crow located Penelope’s hand again and gave it a squeeze. “We should go back,” he said, glancing in the direction they had come from. “Otto sounded like he’ll be frustrated if we delay the trip much longer.”

Penelope nodded her head as Crow agreed to her compromise. She was glad they were at least on the same page. Once again, she couldn't help but feel a strong desire to accompany him on the trip to Younis, especially now that he had revealed there was likely a mercenary in the inner kingdom. However, the knight knew she couldn't get out of the duties that laid on the warfront so as much as she disliked it, she pushed away the lingering desire.

As Crow took her hand, she intertwined their fingers. "Yeah. He didn't seem pleased with us leaving in the first place." she mused as she thought about the baron. He may not have been as hot tempered as someone like William or her brother but the knight could tell he didn't want to waste any time. And personally, she didn't feel like pushing it with the baron, who likely wasn't overly pleased by her sudden appearance to begin with. He was a hard man to read though so it was impossible for her to say for sure.

Regardless, the knight began to lead the way back to the group. Taking the few moments alone that they had left, she shifted to walk closer to his side, letting their arms brush as they walked. With the unnerving news that Crow had revealed, Penelope took comfort in having him so close. Since they hadn't traveled very far, it took the two no time to return back to the group, who was clearly waiting for them. Otto and his son were already mounting their horses while Percy prepared his and Preston packed away leftovers. Naida was the only one not on her feet and was sitting near Percy, chatting rather one sidedly with the male knight until her gaze caught sight of the couple approaching.

With more favorable company, she stepped away from her comrade and grinned. "Oh good you guys are back! Now we can get going!"

Crow nodded in agreement when Penelope said that Otto didn’t seem pleased with them for wandering off together. He didn’t know the older man very well apart from the little he had heard during the king’s council meetings, but the baron definitely struck him as a rule-abiding type. When they had been debating how to approach the war, Otto had been a firm advocate for continuing forward with the old plan to enlist Gorm as an ally. He hadn’t been as fiery as Adam Fischbach, but his decision had never wavered once until his father had announced that they would parley with Younis. Now, on their way to the northern kingdom, he suspected that Otto would be just as determined to follow the plan that Albin had made to a T.

As he and the knight walked back to the others, Crow enjoyed the last few minutes they would have to themselves for what would likely be the rest of the day. When the group came into sight up ahead, he let go of Penelope’s hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders in a swift hug before stepping over to prepare his horse. During the break, Baine had been tied to a tree with the rest of the stallions, idly nosing at a few of the branches over his head until he noticed the viceroy approach. Restless and probably hungry too, he snorted and scuffed the ground with his hoof. All the grass below his head had been trimmed down to the root, devoured by the animal when he had grazed.

“I told you we wouldn’t be gone long,” Crow reminded his sister with a smirk as he untied the stallion from the tree.

“Well, it was long enough,” Naida huffed, propping her hands on her hips. “If I have to pay attention during the ride, I’d at least like to have someone to talk to when we have our breaks, and these three are no good for conversation.” She waved a hand at the taciturn knights.

At that, Otto turned toward her from atop his steed, “Why don’t you ride up front with me this time, my lady? We can review your survival knowledge until we arrive in Sarton.”

Crow glanced at him, surprised that the baron was offering his help, either inadvertent or intentionally.

Naida stared at Otto for a moment before she shrugged. “Alright. It’s better than doing nothing, I suppose.”

“Very good,” the baron nodded. “We can begin by reviewing which plants are edible in this part of the kingdom.”

While his sister finally mounted her horse, Crow did the same with his, relieved that she had a distraction for this half of the ride. Once everyone was ready to go, Otto signaled for them to depart. He and Naida took up the two positions in the front while Percival and Rayner followed silently at the rear. In the middle, Crow rode between Penelope and Preston, letting his gaze wander over the surrounding trees as he kept more alert for suspicious movement.

Penelope smirked faintly as Naida rather bluntly claimed the other three knights to be poor company. Luckily it didn't seem like anyone took offense and it they did, they hid it with ease. What slightly caught the knight off guard was how Otto jumped in to offer his company up to the princess. She assumed he was just trying to help keep her occupied but regardless, the knight hadn't expected him to intervene, whether it was to help them or simply cater to the princess. Either way, Penelope wasn't one to complain. Needing to be on full alert, she was glad that she wouldn't have the distraction of her friend trying to keep a conversation going.

With that in mind, the knight stepped over to her horse and untied him from the tree before mounting him. As the others fell into position, she guided her horse to do the same, falling in on the open side of the viceroy. She fell into a silence as she kept her head up and her eyes focused on looking over their surroundings, watching with more care than before.

---

Despite her concerns, they had a rather easy trip to Sarton. There was no signs of danger or any other hitches in their travels. Penelope had remained on guard the whole time so conversations with her had been minimal though she did occasionally chat with Crow and Naida whenever something came up. Although it wasn't often, especially for the princess who's attention managed to be held by Otto for the most part. The knight had occasionally caught snippets of their conversation as he thoroughly went over survival knowledge for the rest of the trip. And for that, she was grateful to the baron.

As Otto lead them to the inn they would be staying at, the group drew their horses to a halt. She directed her stallion into a stop and carefully climbed down from the horse. Now that they had made it to the village, she felt herself relax a little bit more. In a more densely populated area and in their own kingdom, she doubted the mercenaries would strike at that moment so she let her guard down a bit more. As her feet touched the ground, she let out a long sigh and rolled her shoulders. It had been a long time since she had ridden for such a long distance so naturally she was feeling a bit stiff.

"Thank gods we finally reached the inn." she mused as she turned towards the building. After a long day on horseback and being on guard, she was eager to fill her belly and settle in for the night.

For the rest of the ride to Sarton, Crow paid much closer attention to his surroundings than he had during the first half. Although nothing happened, and he still doubted that a mercenary would try to attack them while they were so close to the heart of the kingdom, he wanted to brush up on old habits that had become dusty since he had taken the title of viceroy. In the outer villages, he had been better about watching his own back no matter where he was, since there were people throughout the whole of Brerra who had wanted to see him dead or imprisoned again. If he had let his guard down the way he had been recently, he might not have escaped from some of said people who had tried to capture him themselves.

So, by the time they arrived outside the inn, he was mentally exhausted from keeping watch and physically exhausted, since it had been over two years since the last time he’d been on the back of a horse from dawn until dusk. He slid down from Baine’s back with a relieved sigh, his legs slightly sore from straddling the stallion’s back all day. There was still a long way to go until they reached the Younisian castle. He hoped his body would adjust to the strain of riding quickly, so he wouldn’t show up to the negotiation bowlegged.

“Thank the gods we finally reached supper,” he corrected Penelope with a smirk as Preston took his horse’s reins to bring him to the stables in the back. There were far too many of the beasts for him to handle alone, so Percival, the second lowest ranking among their group, collected Otto’s, Rayner’s, and Naida’s in addition to his stallion. He took two sets of reins in each hand as he and the attendant headed off to set all seven horses up for the night behind the inn.

“I’ll alert the innkeeper to our arrival,” Otto announced, turning to head inside the building.

Crow nodded wordlessly behind the baron’s back. Otto had earned some points with him for keeping Naida occupied during the remainder of their ride that day, but he still didn’t know what to think about the older man, so past prejudices kept him slightly cold. It was the same with Rayner, who seemed uncomfortable in the presence of the others now that his father was gone. It was difficult to tell if he was just shy or if he felt out of place because of the closeness that had already developed between Crow, Naida, and Penelope long before he’d been chosen to accompany them on the trip. Whatever the case, his awkwardness was tangible as he shifted his weight and continually glanced at the door to the inn, as if eagerly awaiting the baron’s return.

“I can’t wait to get some sleep,” Naida groaned, reaching her arms high over her head in a long stretch. “I didn’t know how tiring these long rides were going to be. It would be nice if there was a way for us to get to Younis without sitting on a horse all day.”

“It’s called a wagon,” Crow laughed. “And it’s how we traveled the first time we went to Younis.”

“That’s not fair,” his sister crossed her arms. “Why don’t we get have a wagon on this trip?”

“Because all of us know how to ride horses,” the viceroy shrugged. “The king said we’ll cover more distance if we don’t have such a heavy burden dragging us down.”

“I’d prefer a long, slow ride over this,” the princess protested.

“Too late to change it now,” Crow pointed out and then turned back to Penelope. “We should go inside to get a table. I’m not going to sleep on an empty stomach.”

Penelope rolled her eyes playfully at him as he corrected her. "Of course." she snickered, mirroring his smirk before her gaze flickered over to Otto. She gave a small nod to the baron as he went ahead of them to step inside before she turned her focus over to the half siblings. The knight gave a mumble of agreement with Crow's words as he pointed out it was too late to change methods of travel. She shot the viceroy a smirk as he turned back to her and nodded her head.

"Alright, let's go then. I know the tantrums you're capable of throwing on an empty stomach." she snickered. Despite her teasing words, there was also a fondness in her gaze as she looked up at him. Her smirk faded into a smile and she moved to take his hand in hers before heading into the inn. Naida trotted up to follow on the other side of her glancing around as they stepped inside. The princess eyed over the tables as they stepped into the dining hall, pointing out an open seat once she spotted one.

Offhandedly, the knight noted that the inn was rather busy. She found it a bit strange at first, but then supposed Sarton was a common stopping place for the nobles traveling to and fro the warfront. Not commenting on it, she instead focused on following Naida over to the empty table and also ignoring the occasional glances she and Crow received. Although it was difficult for her to decide if was because of their newly public closeness or simply because of the viceroy's sudden appearance.

She slid onto the bench across from her friend and rested her elbows against the table, letting out an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Well it's nice to finally sit down on something that's not a horse."