“I can only imagine. That sounds horrible,” Crow shuddered exaggeratedly, although a smile softened his features as Penelope kissed him on the cheek. Letting out his breath in a peaceful exhale, he rested his head against hers and looked down at the river. The moonlight reflected off the water’s surface, distorted in the ripples. It was a beautiful spot, and if he hadn’t been trying to run away from the knight two years ago, he probably would have been mesmerized the first time he’d seen it. At least we got to come back, he mused silently, resting his hand over hers in the grass. Every time they revisited a place they’d stopped by before, he enjoyed himself. It was interesting to think about how much had changed since they had first stayed in Wellspring. Back then, he’d still been absorbed with trying to get away from her, William and Abraxas.

“Well, he fell for the irritable knight who was here last time too,” he said, pulling back just enough to meet her gaze in the darkness. “She turned out to be pretty great, so I think it’s safe to say everything turned out for the best.” As he studied her face he fell quiet, taking in the details he could make out in the low light. He was still amazed that he’d somehow won the heart of a woman as breathtaking as her. Every time he stopped long enough to think about it, he wanted to shake his head in disbelief. The person he loved—his soon-to-be wife—was the most incredible woman he’d ever met, and for some reason, she loved him too.

Swept up in the moment, he reached up with one hand to caress her cheek, trailing his fingers from her jawline down the side of her neck. Her skin felt warm beneath his touch in contrast with the cold air, and it lured him closer until he pressed his lips against hers in a deep kiss. He sighed audibly, only breaking the kiss long enough to murmur “I love you so much” before he leaned into her more fervently, pushing her over on the ground. John had made them promise not to sleep together again, but that didn’t mean he had to keep his hands to himself completely.

Hovering over Penelope, the former thief kissed her until he had to come up for air. “Gods, whenever I’m with you, I forget to breathe,” he chuckled, panting softly as he trailed his hand down her side.

“It definitely did.” Penelope agreed with a smile as he met her gaze. She looked back towards the river, quietly watching the moon’s distorted reflection. Her mind wandered to what her future would now look like. It had changed so much in the last two years that the knight was still mildly swept up in the fact that she would be remaining as a noble and with intentions to still marry Crow now that he was viceroy. The thief she had once chased through the woods around them was now her suitor. The thought keep a small smile on her face.

She was drawn from her musings when she felt him bring his hand up to her cheek. Penelope shifted her gaze onto Crow again, his touch warm on her face that had been exposed to the cold weather. Her gaze drifted to his lips and she leaned in to meet his as he kissed her. Even though they were now courting, the most they had been able to get away with were just casual touches. The rarity of getting close like they were now sent her heart racing with excitement, even though the knight rationally knew they wouldn’t be able to take it any further due to the promise they made her father. She didn’t want to risk their courtship for just one night together after all.

As he broke the kiss, an affectionate smile tugged on her lips at his words and a light shade of pink had risen on her cheeks from the kiss. Penelope met his lips eagerly once more as he kissed her again, drawn in both by her affection for him as well as how warm his touch felt at the moment. She fell back as he pushed her over and moved to rest one hand against his cheek as they kissed. When he finally drew back, a breathless laugh escaped the knight at his words and she grinned up at him. “And I think it’s safe to say, you steal my breath away.” she commented with a playful wink.

Her expression softened as she looked up at him, feeling a swell of affection for her suitor. She moved her hand from his cheek to gently trace her finger tips over his jawline. “I hope you know just how much I love you.” she murmured before leaning up to press a tender kiss to his lips before pulling back to add with a smirk, “But if you don’t I’ll do my best to keep reminding you.”

“It’s nice to know I can still steal something,” Crow teased Penelope breathlessly in return. As he spoke, he shifted his weight to prop himself up more stably on one forearm while he leaned over her. In the back of his mind, he still kept an idle watch of their surroundings, just in case anyone tried to attack them while they were distracted. Alone in the middle of the woods, this was the most vulnerable position they had put themselves in since they’d left the castle. However, he wasn’t terribly concerned about being interrupted. Laying in the grass with the knight, it was hard to think about anything that could go wrong at that particular moment. The peace of the quiet trees and the babbling river was infectious.

When she trailed her fingers over his cheek, he turned his head slightly to kiss her palm. Her soft-spoken words made his heart flutter like they always did, and he smiled against her lips as she kissed him. He couldn’t wait until they would be able to be together like this more often. It would be nice to return to groups without being accused of being irresponsible too. He wasn’t looking forward to being chewed out by Otto when they got back to the inn. Hopefully the baron wouldn’t be so furious that he ruined their night by shouting.

“Speaking of stealing,” he met her gaze again with a mischievous smirk after they parted again. “I might have gotten a little carried away the last time we left the castle…” Feigning a sheepish expression, he sat up again, freeing her from being trapped beneath his weight. He offered her a hand to get up as well and reached into his cloak pocket, digging for the object in question. When they had left the inner kingdom, he’d made sure not to forget it because he had wanted to give it to the lieutenant before they parted ways for two weeks.

“Close your eyes,” he instructed her, his sly smile returning as he grew more eager. “If you want to know what I did, you’ll have to play along. Those are the rules.”

Penelope laid her head back against the ground. At his words, she raised an eyebrow at him when he spoke vaguely about the last time they had left the castle. She was a bit surprised to hear he had actually stolen something. Mainly because the former thief had to be careful due to his new title as viceroy. “I should have known you hadn’t gone this whole time with out slipping something.” she remarked amusedly. She took his hand as he offered it to her, sitting up alongside him. The knight shifted to get a bit more comfortable and looked over curiously at the former thief.

“So, what and why?” she asked, tilting her head slightly as she watched him dig into his cloak to retrieve the stolen object. Perhaps the knight would have been a bit more concerned about his actions if they weren’t in the past. He had clearly gotten away with it after all. Plus it wasn’t completely surprising. She knew him well enough to know that his thievery talents weren’t off the table just because he was a viceroy now. Though, she suspected he wouldn’t use them without some reason considering how he was taking his new position seriously from what she had seen.

As he told her to close her eyes, she rolled them playfully instead. “There’s always a catch with you.” she teased before giving an exaggerated sigh. “But you made me curious so I’ll play along.” Penelope shot him a smile and closed her eyes. Playing along with him, his rule made her all the more curious to what he had done and what part of that related to his rules. "Alright, so what did you do?" she questioned, blindly tipping her head towards him.

When Penelope questioned him about the thing he had stolen, Crow just shrugged airily. “I guess you’ll have to wait and find out.” He could never make it easy on her. Not only was it against his nature to be agreeable, but he also enjoyed the theatrics that went with making her wait. So, toying with the object in his pocket, he stayed put until she followed his directions to close her eyes before he removed it from his cloak. He liked surprising her, so a smile crossed his lips as he lifted up a leather cord and looped it around her neck.

“Okay, you can open your eyes now,” he informed her, brushing her hair out from underneath the semi-stiff thread. Against her chest, a silver pendant dangled. When they had visited Belmare, the piece had caught his eye, so he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take it. Compared to the merchant’s other goods, it hadn’t been the most impressive piece of jewelry, so he doubted the man had noticed it was gone anyway. The silver had been molded into a round leaf with veins of emerald threaded into the surface as texture. The tip of the leaf pointed down and swept to the right, as if it was billowing in the wind, and the cut stem was attached by the cord around the knight’s neck.

“I know you don’t approve of stealing, but I couldn’t afford anything at that ridiculously overpriced market,” he justified, studying her face with a hapless smile. “Besides, it’s not like that foreign merchant needed my money. The rings he was wearing on his fingers were probably worth more than almost everything I own. I figured I could get away with taking just one pendant, and I wanted to get something for you in case everything worked out at the party, and my father sent me away to Younis. Unlike the last few times we’ve been apart, now you’ll have something to remember me by while I’m gone.”

He reached out to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, watching her features as he gauged her reaction. “The green in the leaf reminded me of your eyes… Do you like it?”

Waiting patiently, she felt him slip something over her head. The touch was too light for her to make out what it was though aside from the obvious assumption of it being a necklace of some sorts. As he said she could open her gaze, her green eyes flicked down curiously to eye the object he had placed on her. She blinked at the sight of the pendant and raised her hand to let it rest against her palm as she took in the features of the silver leaf.

To the knight, the pendant’s design was simple yet elegant. It was clearly well made and she found that she quite liked how the craftsman had chosen to thread emerald into the surface of the lead. She get gently traced her thumb over it’s textured surface as she listened to Crow explain himself. Penelope found her heart flutter as he explained that he had wanted to get her something for when they would part. As she held the pendant in her hand, a strange new sense of comfort came from having it. Already she could tell that it would be nice to have something he had gifted her during their time apart. While she liked the piece of jewelry as it was, the sentimental attachment easily upped it’s value to the knight.

Her gaze lifted onto to Crow as he brushed back a strand of her hair. A smile tugged at her lips, warmed that the emeralds had made him think of her. Before answering, she leaned in to press a kiss to his lips, as if trying to express her gratitude to him physically before pulling back. “I love it. Thank you.” she assured him with a bright smile. “I’m sure I’ll wear it everyday while we’re apart.” It was rare for the knight to wear jewelry if it wasn’t required for some lavish event, however, she already knew that this particular piece would become an exception for her.

Her gaze briefly glanced up towards the sky, silently noting how late it was getting as well as her own weariness beginning to set in further. Letting the pendant go, she slowly moved to stand up. “We should probably start heading back to the inn.” she told him on a less enthusiastic note. She may have been tired but she still wasn’t thrilled about their short time together coming to an end. “Hopefully Otto won’t reprimand us too much.” she mused as she held her hand out to him.

Crow’s smile brightened when Penelope said she loved the gift. He was well aware that she wasn’t the type of woman who drooled over fine clothes and jewelry, so it had been a bit of a gamble on his part to steal a necklace for her. However, he had liked the thought of giving her something she could wear, so she could keep it with her all the time if she wanted to. Hearing her say that she would wear it every day while they were apart made him sit up a little straighter, happy that she was planning to keep it close all the time.

“I’m glad you like it,” he said and then nodded when she reminded him that they should head back to the inn. As much as he enjoyed being alone with her in the woods, he knew she was right. He didn’t want to find out how long it would take before Otto became so impatient that he sent a search party after them. It was better to go back to the room before the baron did anything drastic. Although, he still wasn’t looking forward to the inevitable reprimanding they were going to have to face when they returned.

“I hope not,” he wrinkled his nose, standing up from the ground and taking Penelope’s outstretched hand. “Sometimes I wonder if he realizes I technically hold a higher rank than he does. It’s starting to get on my nerves how he treats me like an apprentice who doesn’t know anything.” He rolled his eyes. It was true that he hadn’t been a nobleman for very long, but he still felt like Otto was out of line for taking total charge of the group and behaving as if he was the most important person there. He and Naida were both above him. The only reason why they stepped back and let the older man lead them was because his sister didn’t seem to enjoy authoritative roles, and he preferred spending his time with Penelope instead of managing the party. As soon as the knight parted ways with them, however, he had half a mind to remind the baron who Albin had actually assigned to this mission in the first place.

As they walked back into the town, his eyes drifted up to the starry sky and then down to the woman beside him, lingering on the pendant that now hung around her neck. It looked good on her, and he was pleased that it seemed to have been a good choice after all. “You look beautiful,” he smiled at her affectionately. “I mean, you look beautiful all the time. I just felt like I should remind you again.” With a low chuckle, he leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek before he added in a whisper: “And I wanted to take partial credit, since I just gave you the necklace that looks so dazzling around your gorgeous neck.”

The knight picked up on how his reaction to her words, glad that her promise to wear the necklace had made him happy. It made her take her own words all the more seriously as she began to grow used to the pendant that rested against her chest. Once he was up from the ground, the knight turned to begin their walk back to the inn, silently praying that Otto wouldn’t be too furious. She wanted nothing more than to lie down and sleep after a long day of travel. Something she couldn’t do if there was an upset baron reprimanding them for slipping away for the short time that they had.

At Crow’s words about the man, a smirk crossed her lips and she nodded her head in agreement. “Well, judging by how he acts, I’m guessing he’s already swallowing quite a bit of pride just treating you like a noble as it is. I doubt he trusts you very much to do anything.” she pointed out with shrug. Over the brief time she had spent traveling alongside Otto, the baron was efficient but from what she could tell, he had a ridged view of the world and social classes.

It was lucky that his loyalty to the king seemed to outweigh any negative views he held. Her eyes traveled back over to Crow at the thought.“I’m sure by the end of all this you’ll either change his mind or drive him insane.” she mused, with an air of casualness before her smirk widened. “Whichever comes first.”

Her attention went back to looking ahead as they walked back into Wellspring. Her green eyes did another survey of their surroundings, being careful as she could. As Crow spoke up again, she mirrored his smile and gave a small giggle at his whisper. “I’ll admit, you have good taste.” she said amusedly. The knight released his hand to instead wrap her arm around his middle. With the village already growing quiet, Penelope wanted to take advantage of the fleeting moments they had left before they retired for the night and eventually split in the morning.

As they walked, her gaze eventually landed on the inn in front of them. Noting that no one was waiting out front for them, she relaxed a little and looked up at Crow with a halfhearted expression. “Ready to head in?”

When Penelope pointed out that Otto’s attitude probably had more to do with his past as a thief, Crow just shrugged. He knew she was right, but it didn’t change the fact that he was getting tired of letting the baron order him around. Whether Otto liked it or not, Albin had appointed him as Brerra’s next viceroy, and that title wasn’t going to change as long as his father didn’t strip him of it. He doubted the king would do that too, since it had sounded like he didn’t want to bother training someone else to learn about the languages and customs of the neighboring kingdoms. As far as he knew, he was going to hold the position for as long as he lived.

“The latter sounds more fun,” he grinned back at Penelope when she said he would either change the baron’s mind or drive him insane. “I’ll let you know how it goes after I get back from Younis.”

As the knight wrapped her arms around his middle, he slipped an arm around her shoulders as well. “If you didn’t, it would be a lie,” he said cheekily. “Darling, I used to make my living on stealing and selling jewelry just like that. I have amazing taste.” Teasingly, he pressed another kiss to her temple before they continued on their way to the inn. When they reached it and stepped inside, he let out a quiet sigh, disappointed that their last getaway before he left for the northern kingdom was coming to an end. He was going to miss spending time with her for the next two weeks while they were apart.

“No,” he answered honestly when Penelope asked if he was ready to head into their room. “But it’s better than driving Sir Whines-A-Lot to come looking for us, so here we are.” Reaching for the handle, he pushed the door open and entered the room first, bracing himself for Otto’s chastisement. He didn’t have to wait long before the baron took notice of him and the knight and spoke up.

“Where have you been?” the older man scowled irritably, sitting upright on his bed where he had just been putting on his boots.

“I think something in my supper disagreed with me,” Crow replied with a wrinkle of his nose. “If I were you, I’d steer clear of the privy for a few days.”

Taken aback by the viceroy’s tawdry reply, Otto faltered for a moment before he was able to pool enough thoughts together to realize that he was messing with him. “I suppose you think you’re funny,” he grumbled, crossing his arms in a disgruntled posture.

“Very much so, yes,” Crow confirmed nonchalantly, shrugging his cloak off his shoulders.

“His Majesty appointed all of us to protect you while you’re on your way to parley with the Younisian king, Collin,” the baron reminded him curtly. “We can’t do our jobs if you insist on being difficult. You’d do well to stop wandering off as if this was merely a holiday.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” the viceroy rolled his eyes. “Penelope and I just wanted a moment to ourselves because she’s leaving in the morning. I don’t plan to do anymore ‘wandering off’ after she’s gone.”

“Good,” Otto’s shoulders relaxed as if he was relieved to get a straightforward response from the obstinate former thief.

With the subject dropped, Crow turned back to the knight and kissed her briefly. “I’ll see you in the morning, love. May the gods protect you from Naida’s feet.”

“I heard that, imp,” his sister shot him a glare from the bed she was already sitting on across the room.

He glanced at her with a wry smirk. He hadn’t had siblings for very long, but he was already enjoying the level of comfort he and the princess had developed over the past few weeks. As high-maintenance as she could be sometimes, he was glad that she was coming with him to Younis. The trip would be more bearable with someone else to banter with during their down time.

Turning back to Penelope he lifted a hand to his mouth to cover a yawn and then casted her an affectionate smile, “Anyway, I actually do hope you sleep well. I love you.”

Penelope gave him a small smile of amusement as he replied honestly to her question. She couldn’t blame as she wasn’t particularly thrilled to end their time together or deal with a nagging baron. Letting him go, the knight fell in behind him as the viceroy opened the door and walked into the room. It took barely anytime for the baron to speak up and as expected, he didn’t sound pleased. A quiet sigh escaped her and she glanced around the small room as Crow responded to the irritated man. Tired and growing more so at the sight of the bed she’d have to share with Naida, she paid little attention to the two, more eager for the matter to settle rather than to jump into an argument.

Luckily Crow seemed to calm the baron relatively quickly. As he turned back to her, she gave him a weary smile and leaned in to meet his lips as he kissed her. “Thanks.” she said with a quiet chuckle. Penelope glanced over at Naida with a small smirk as her friend piped in before looking back to him. “I hope I can. I love you too. Goodnight Crow.” she said before leaning up to press a final kiss to his cheek.

Moving away from him, she stepped over to the other side of the bed that Naida was on and began to take off her armor. Since the room was so small, she crammed it best she could on her side of the bed in a pile. Satisfied, she moved to climb into the bed besides her friend who had already laid down ahead of her. The two noblewomen laid back to back due to how small the bed was. “Goodnight Penelope.” Naida whispered over her shoulder. “Despite what he says, I assure you I’ll be still tonight.”

“I’m sure you’ll try.” Penelope responded with a teasing glance as she looked over her shoulder at her friend. In all honesty, the knight did hope that past wouldn’t repeat itself. She was tired and the bed was small that part of her was already on the edge of it. The last thing she needed was a final kick to send her to the ground during the night. “Goodnight Naida.” she mumbled as she laid her head back down, ignoring the eye roll that came from her friend. Settling in as comfortably as she could manage, the knight closed her eyes. Weary from all the day’s events, it took her no time to drift off into a decently deep sleep.

“Goodnight,” Crow said in return to Penelope before he stepped over to join the other two men in the middle of the room. Their bed would be the floor for the night, so he didn’t remove his surcoat like he had before. It would be his substitute for a blanket to fend off the chilly winter air. Instead, he only took off his boots and laid down in the gap between Preston and Percival, who seemed to have decided to take up the outer edges before he’d returned from his brief getaway with the knight. He wondered absently if Otto had ordered them to do that, so he would have the warmest spot in the middle, or if they had made the decision on their own. Either way, there was no reason to question them about it, so he said nothing as he wadded his cloak up into a makeshift pillow and slipped it under his head to sleep.

--

The next morning, Crow stirred at the sound of a bed creaking. He stretched wearily and rolled from his side onto his back. His body was slightly stiff from laying on hard planks of wood all night in combination with the cool air in the room that had made him tense his muscles to keep warm, but he’d woken up feeling worse. These days, if he managed to make it until daybreak without being startled awake by a nightmare, he counted it as a restful sleep. A little stiffness was nothing compared to the burden of feeling exhausted all day.

As he oriented himself to reality, he noticed belatedly that Otto was the one who had roused him from his slumber. The baron had climbed out of his bed and had begun putting his armor back on while everyone else slowly woke up in response to the rattling and clanking of the metal plates. It wasn’t the most pleasant way to get up in the morning, but it was better than being shaken and prodded like some people preferred to do, so the viceroy couldn’t complain. He sat upright with his weight supported on the palm of one hand, rubbing his eyes tiredly with the heel of the other. At his side, Preston looked even more drowsy, but the attendant still forced himself to clamber to his feet to start putting their belongings together for the next leg of the trip. On his other side, Percival was already seated and was in the middle of pulling his long hair into a braid to keep it out of his face before they left.

The knight glanced at him when he noticed the former thief looking his way and nodded formally, “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Crow’s response was far sloppier as it was interrupted halfway with a broad yawn.

“I hope everyone slept well,” Otto said, though his tone was more curt than it was warm. “We have another long trip ahead of us, and we need to leave soon to try to get a large enough room at the inn in Silverpool.”

Silverpool. Crow blinked as the realization struck him that he would probably see Evelyn again while he was there. He felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness, eager to catch up with her but uncertain how she would react when she found out what he’d been up to since the last time they had seen each other. Like most peasants, she wasn’t fond of noblemen. Nevertheless, she knew him better than most people did, so he hoped that the bond they’d formed over the years would be stronger than any resentment she might feel when she learned he’d taken on the title of viceroy. With that thought in mind, he rose to his feet to put his boots and cloak back on.

Despite what Naida had promised, there had still been a hint of trouble during the night. On a couple occasions the princess had sprawled out in her sleep—clearly used to sleeping alone and with more space— causing for her to crowd out the knight as well as dig her knee or elbow into her friend’s back. Naida was a heavy sleeper so Penelope found the easiest solution was to just nudge her friend away from her whenever she was woken up by the discomfort. Over all, it had been a better sleep than the night prior but it came at the cost of still feeling sore when the next morning rolled around.

The sound of the clamber of metal stirred her from her light slumber. Penelope had been laying rigidly against the far end of her side of the bed and could already feel a bit stiff both from having held that position for most of the night as well as from the jabs of Naida. She stretched and then swung her legs over the side of the bed as she sat up. Her green eyes squinted as they adjusted to the morning light and she let out a small yawn as she stretched out her back again, hoping to relieve some of the soreness. Behind her, she was aware of the bed shifting as Naida rose from her sleep as well.

“Morning Penelope.” Naida greeted then smiled confidently. “Well it looks like I didn’t knock you off the bed this time.”

“No but you did dig your elbow into my back on a few occasions.” Penelope responded casting a wry smirk over her shoulder. Turning back around, the knight threw on her boots and began to collect her belongings from the floor

Naida’s smile dimmed and she let out a small huff. “In my defense, this bed is tiny so some bumping was bound to happen!”

“Honestly I think you’ve improved.” Penelope gave a small laugh as she rose to her feet. As she threw on her armor, Otto’s words about reaching Silverpool reminded the her that she’d be taking her leave from the group that morning. She’d be leaving Crow and returning to her battalion. The though caused a hint of uneasiness and disappointment bubble inside her. She let out a quiet sigh under her breath and stepped over to the viceroy as the rest of the group finished getting ready. Though she was reluctant to part with him, she knew it was inevitable and more so then that, she understood his desire to see his old companions.

“I guess I better head out soon as well.” she mumbled, reaching out to rest a hand on his arm. The knight glanced discreetly around the room, noting that the others seemed preoccupied before leaning in closer to him. “Was there anywhere specific I should tell them to meet you?” she asked in a soft whisper.

Still shaking off the last of his weariness, Crow moved a little slower than usual as he slid his cloak over his shoulders. Around him, the rest of the group was getting ready to leave as well. Otto and Rayner were nearly done putting on their armor, having been the first to wake up, while Preston was standing by the door and Percival had gotten up to start on his armor too. Watching the knights, the former thief was grateful that the uniform he had to wear was simpler than theirs. The fabric of his surcoat and cloak were heavy, but at least it was better than tying metal plates to every visible part of his body. He would never envy the work they had to put into getting ready every morning and taking it all off to sleep every night.

Stepping off to the side to wait for them without being jostled by any elbows in the small space, he glanced at Penelope, who had approached him in the same moment. Her furtive demeanor caught his attention, and he leaned toward her slightly as she asked him where she should tell his old companions to meet him. Considering the question, he narrowed his eyes slightly as he pictured the landscape between Silverpool and Myrefall. There were plenty of potential meeting spots that the thieves would recognize, since they were all familiar with the area, but one stood out to him above the others.

“Tell them to meet me at the fallen tree halfway to Silverpool,” he told her decisively. “They’ll know what you mean.” In the middle of the woods, there were countless fallen trees, so he knew the message sounded cryptic. However, there was one particularly enormous tree that he and the others had seen a few times when they had traveled to and from the border village. From what he could tell, it sat almost exactly halfway between Silverpool and Myrefall, so it would be a good point for them all to meet.

“Fetch the horses now that everyone is ready.”

Crow glanced up as Otto sent Preston and Percival off on their usual errand. It looked like all of them were finished putting on their armor, so they would be leaving for the next village as soon as the two men returned with their rides. That meant he would be saying goodbye to Penelope very soon too. At the thought, he reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. He wished they could travel together longer, but it was important to him that he got to see his old friends at least once while he was in the outer villages, so unfortunately, they would have to part ways here.

It’s just two weeks, he reminded himself, turning back to her. “How about you wait with us for the horses before you go?” he suggested, grasping at one last opportunity to spend time with her before they split up. “Preston and Percy are already on their way to get them, so you might as well stay until they come back.”

Penelope raised an eyebrow as he relayed what message to give his companions. It seemed like a vague meeting place but she didn’t question it as he assured that they would know what it meant. If Crow was confident enough in it, then she saw no reason to dispute it. The knight gave a small nod before turning her head to glance over at Otto as he instructed Preston and Percival to collect the horses. Off handedly, the knight thought that she should head out to do the same. Now that she was taking her leave from the group, she wasn’t sure if they’d grab her own horse as well.

She felt Crow take her hand and she let out a soft sigh as she felt him squeeze it. Though their time apart wouldn’t be that long, the knight was still far from eager to part. As he suggested waiting with them until the horses came, she nodded her head, forgetting about her past intentions to go ready her own beast. It could be put off for just a little longer. “Alright, I’ll hang around until they get back.” she agreed, moving a little closer to him.

Otto stepped past them with his son following closely behind as he headed towards the door. The baron spared them a passing glance. “Let’s wait for them outside.” he directed before heading out of the room. As usual, the baron seemed to be in a rush to get out and on the road. While the knight usually didn’t mind his punctualness, she wasn’t fond of it at the moment. She glanced up at the viceroy and offered a hapless shrug before stepping to follow him out of the room.

“Aww Penelope you’re leaving us soon, huh?” A small whine came from Naida as the princess hurriedly joined the two, falling in step on the other side of the knight.

“Unfortunately.” Penelope replied with a small smile. “But I’ll see you again once you guys return.”

“Really?” Naida perked up slightly. “You won’t be staying at the front lines again?”

“I don’t plan to. Provided an agreement for peace is within reach.” she mused with a shrug. Her gaze turned to look up at Crow with a confident smile. “And I have a good feeling about it.”

When Penelope agreed to stick around a little longer, Crow grinned and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. It wasn’t much, but he would take every second with her that he could get. He didn’t let go of her hand either as they followed Otto and Rayner out of the room to wait at the front of the inn. Although he hadn’t appreciated the way the baron had been rushing them until now, he had a feeling he wouldn’t object very much once they crossed into Younis. The sooner they made it to the foreign castle, the sooner he could parley with the king and they could return to Brerra with the good news that the war was over. At least, that was what he hoped would happen. In reality, there were still a number of things that could go wrong with the trip, but he was choosing to stay optimistic. The best he could do was hope that everything went according to plan.

At the sound of Naida’s voice, he turned his head to see that his sister had trotted up to walk on Penelope’s other side. She was pouting as usual, but he couldn’t blame her for being disappointed that the knight was going to be leaving them soon. He was a little tempted to sulk about it as well.

“Me too,” he mused when Penelope said she had a good feeling about reaching an agreement with Younis. “I heard the ambassador is very persuasive.”

“He better be,” Naida shot him a stern glance. “The castle is so dull without my best friend around. I want this war to be over, so she can come back as fast as possible.”

“Not to mention all the people who would die if this thing drags on any longer than it already has,” Crow rolled his eyes dryly.

“That too,” the princess shrugged.

The viceroy shook his head. His sister wasn’t a bad person, but every once in a while, he was reminded of how detached she was from the people who lived beyond the inner kingdom. She probably had no idea how terrible the war had been for the peasants who lived on the border. And how could she? From what he’d heard, it sounded like Albin never let her leave the inner kingdom. He wondered if he would ever find the opportunity to bring her to the northern villages, where he could show her what life was like for him and all the other commoners who didn’t have the luxury of growing up surrounded by wealth and prestige.

As they stepped outside to wait for Preston and Percival to return from the stables, another thought seemed to cross Naida’s mind. “Oh, Penelope,” she brightened, turning to her friend with a broad smile. “Tell Olivia I said hi. I can’t wait to see her too when everyone comes back from the warfront!”

Penelope smiled amusedly as Crow added to her statement. Regardless of him only just beginning to be formerly trained as the viceroy, she was well aware of his skills of persuasion as well as bartering. Others might be less inclined to trust the man who was a thief not that long ago but she knew better and it was one of her few worries. What worried her much more was him being able to safely reach the Younisian king and return. The threat of mercenaries continued to weigh heavily at the back of her mind and she doubted there would be any ease until he finally returned. She'd likely be a little on edge for the next two weeks but at least she could distract herself with the work she had to do on the warfront. Her smile waned for a moment at the thought before strengthening a little once more at Naida’s comment.

A soft sigh escaped the knight as her friend brushed off the people suffering due to the war. She knew Naida meant no harm by it but her lack of care just showed the lack of connection between higher and lower class. It reminded Penelope of her resolve to try and lessen that distance through gathering aid for the peasants at the end of the war. That would be the next step for the knight once she returned from the warfront. There was plenty to repair and the warning of the gods made it sound like there was still a threat around other than Younis. She wanted to do what she could before that threat came to light, if it ever did. The thought gave her a small surge of determination before she was brought back to the present as Naida spoke again.

At the mention of Olivia, the knight began to wonder how her comrades on the warfront were faring. It had been quite some time since she had last written them so she had no idea what the current state of her battalion was. She hoped that her friends and family were still well and alive. I suppose I’ll find that out by the end of the day.. she thought off handedly before focusing on Naida. “I’ll be sure to relay the message.” Penelope said with a small laugh. “It’ll be nice when we can all get together again after this mess.”

“I know! It’s been far too long!” Naida nodded with eager agreement.

Penelope turned her head to look over as Preston and Percival returned with the horses, causing a small frown to cross her lips. "Well, looks like it's time for you guys to head off." she mused. Before she could say or do anything else, Naida threw her arms around her friend, giving her a tight squeeze before letting go.

"I'll see you in two weeks!" Naida said firmly. "Good luck on the warfront until then, Penelope."

"Good luck on your mission to Younis." Penelope replied with an appreciative nod. She watched Naida step away to collect her horse for a moment before turning to Crow. It was only two weeks but she was still reluctant to part ways. She let go of his hand to face him and leaned up to press a parting kiss to his lips. The knight lingered longer than she normally would have when around the others but since she wouldn't see him for a while, she wanted to make the kiss count. When she finally pulled back, she flashed him a half hearted smile. "Travel safe and I'll see you when you get back."

As Penelope and Naida talked about Olivia, Crow’s thoughts wandered to imaginings of what the castle would be like when the war was over. He hadn’t really considered it before, but things would probably be different than what he was getting used to after the knights returned from the battlefront. All the people who had been involved in the war would be coming home. That meant the inner kingdom would likely be even more populated than it had been when he’d received his title from his father. Whether that was a good or bad thing remained to be seen. There would be some knights like Olivia and Gavin who he would be happy to see, but then there would be others like Layth who would probably making his life more difficult. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it, but at least the change would be a byproduct of the war’s end. That was more important than anything else.

Spotting Percival and Preston rounding the corner of the inn with their horses, the viceroy sighed under his breath. The time had come for him and Penelope to part ways. He turned toward her, waiting while his sister said her goodbyes first before he met the knight halfway in a kiss. Knowing that it would be the last time they saw each other for a while, he savored the feeling of her lips pressed against his, imprinting the sensation on his memory to the best of his ability. Although there were others around, he didn’t hold back. He reached out to hold her by the waist while he leaned into her deeply without a care as to who was watching. For that moment, the only thing that mattered was the woman standing in front of him.

When she finally pulled back, he met her gaze breathlessly. “I’ll see you soon,” he said back to her. “You stay safe too. I love you, Penelope.” Touching one more quick kiss to her lips, he stepped back to let her go, waiting for her to climb on her horse before he walked over to Baine. In the corner of his eye, he could see Otto staring at him tensely, as if he was barely restraining himself from hurrying him along. He ignored the cold looks though. This was the last time he was going to see the woman he loved—the woman he was going to marry—for two weeks, so the baron could wait just a few seconds longer while he said bade her goodbye.

Hauling himself onto his stallion’s back, he casted one final glance after Penelope before he fell in line with the rest of the group. Now that the lieutenant was gone, Naida took up her old spot on his left side while Preston rode to the right. The Therouldes rode at the front of the procession, and Percival followed along at the rear. He guessed this was a formation they were going to use for the rest of the trip to the Younisian castle as long as none of the knights did much shuffling around.

Naida won’t let them, he thought with an amused smirk. Knowing his half-sister, he was sure she would prefer to rise alongside him to make sure she had a chance to chat instead of keep watch like she would be expected to if she was taking up a guard position in the front or back. He didn’t mind her company though. Now that he wasn’t trying to spend each minute with Penelope, it would be nice to have someone else around to keep him occupied during the journey.

Once they were all in place, Otto craned his neck to check on them and then nodded to himself. “Let’s get moving,” he said sternly. “This is the last village we’re stopping in before we cross the border, so I want everyone to get good sleep tonight.” Taking charge as usual, he spurred his horse and led the way down the road northwest toward Younis.

“I love you too.” Penelope murmured after he touched one last kiss to her lips. As Crow let her go, she stepped away and made her way over to her horse. Reluctantly, she pulled herself up into the saddle and settled in. The knight casted a glance over towards the departing group, her gaze following them for a moment as she silently prayed for them to have a safe journey. Pulling her gaze away, she changed directions from them and began to head further west. While parting was hard, she intended to waste no more time in getting both to Crow’s old companions as well as her own.

—- - - - - - — — - - - —

It had been such a long time since she had traveled alone that she had forgotten how quiet it was. Without any chatter or even the presence of others, the sounds that were normally just vaguely in the background became much easier to hear. The wind blowing the trees, the few birds still around despite the colder weather and even the sound of her horse’s hooves against the ground all seemed amplified. Over all, it just made the journey seem much more dull though she did find a bit of peacefulness in it.

She also found that traveling alone was much quicker. At least, it felt that way. With no one else around and solely focused on getting to her destination, she set a fairly steady pace. She only took a small break to let her horse drink and graze by the river about halfway through. Once she felt they were both ready to continue, she hopped back on her stead and carried onward. Eventually she rode off the main trail and into the woods, recalling where the old waterfall hide out was. It may have been a while since she was last there, but she had been around it plenty enough to memorize the route. All she could do was hope that the group of thieves were still living there.

It was early evening when she had arrived, the sun just beginning it’s descent. Penelope stopped her horse near the river side and tied it to a nearby tree. Looking around the area, it seemed quiet as a usual forest would but that didn’t mean anything. The waterfall had always been a rather secure spot for the thieves, largely because it was so well hidden and because the noise of the water could drowned out their talking from behind. Here’s to hoping they didn’t have to move for some reason… she thought as she began to approach, keeping her guard up. Though she trusted that the thieves wouldn’t be aggressive towards her, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be aggressive towards a knight. She didn’t want to chance one coming back from a hunt or something and only seeing her from the back. The last thing she needed was to be stabbed in the back before she had a chance to tell them about Crow.

Penelope made her way cautiously up the back of the waterfall and peered into the cave. “Hazel, Alistair, Rikki?” she called out as she stepped into view.

Crow spent the majority of the ride to Silverpool chatting idly with Naida and looking around the region that used to be his home. The closer they traveled to the border, the more he recognized. The sights of the familiar forest stirred a sense of nostalgia inside him that was equally as warm as it was painful. The outer villages would always be his home in his heart, but since the moment he’d agreed to be his father’s viceroy, he’d closed the door to returning to them forever. Now, he would only visit in passing and he probably wouldn’t have many opportunities to stay longer than a few days at a time. He was going to miss the life he’d built for himself as a thief, but even as he rode through on horseback now, he couldn’t say that he regretted the decision he’d made.

As much as he’d loved the outer villages, he’d always been at his happiest when he was with Penelope. Choosing between her and everything he’d known had been difficult, but there was no doubt in his mind that becoming a nobleman for her had been the right choice. Now that the status barrier that had kept them apart was gone, there was nothing left standing in their way of being together. He’d do it again a hundred times over if it meant they could finally stop sneaking around and get married.

So, while he had mixed feelings about returning to the villages in which he’d grown up, he didn’t find himself tempted to run at any point. Rather, he rode along compliantly with the knights, only balking at the journey when he became hungry around noon and demanded to have lunch before they continued down the road to Silverpool. Even with one break, they made great time to the village thanks to Otto’s prodding. The sun had yet to fully set on the horizon when the viceroy slid off his horse’s back and stretched his legs. Around him, the others did the same. He could tell they were all starting to get just a little sorer as the days went on, though no one verbally complained about their aching legs aside from a few grunts and grumbles here and there.

“I’ll find out what the availability looks like at the inn,” the baron announced as he handed the reins of his steed off to Percival.

“While you do that, I’m going to get a drink at the tavern,” Crow volunteered his own plan. He was still a little hesitant to speak with Evelyn now that he was a noble, but he couldn’t pass through Silverpool without saying hello to her. Stopping by the Black Dagger was the perfect excuse to do so before the group retired to their room for the night.

“It would be better if you stay close to the inn, Collin,” Otto turned to him with a frown.

“The tavern isn’t far from here,” he justified, handing Baine over to Preston. “It’s one of my favorites in the outer villages, so it would be a crime not to visit while I’m here. I’ll come back when I’m done.”

Otto studied him quietly for a moment before he exhaled in reluctant resignation. “Fine, but if you must go, take Rayner and Princess Mannering. It would give me peace of mind to know that you’re not alone.”

Because I could be in danger or because you don’t trust me not to take off? The former thief wondered to himself. He would have preferred to visit Evelyn without the chaperones, but he had a feeling that the compromise was as much as he was going to get out of the stubborn baron. “Fine,” he agreed curtly. “I’ll be back soon.” Without waiting to find out if Otto would change his mind again, he turned around and headed down the dirt path that would carry him to the Black Dagger while the two knights hurried along to catch up with him.

--

In the camp behind the waterfall, the band of thieves were lounging around the hearth, preparing their supper for the evening. Hazel stirred a pot of rabbit stew, while Rikki and Alistair were gambling with their homemade dice. Since Crow had left, a lot had changed. They still participated in protecting the villagers during battles, but their motivation to do so had slowly begun to taper off. Out of all of them, their former leader had been the most convicted about defending the peasants, so without him around to remind them why they did it, they found themselves sticking closer to their hideout more often than not. The lethargy brought on by the winter season hadn’t helped them with that either, as the cold wind beyond the falls deterred them from venturing outside in the first place.

Although they had been sad to see Crow go, they’d eventually settled into a new rhythm that was becoming their new normal. Hazel had stepped up as their new leader, albeit reluctantly, and was doing a fine job of getting them through the most treacherous time of the year. Despite her initial reservations, she was a natural at taking over the role. She was intuitive when it came to making decisions, and her attentiveness to detail allowed her to make sure they had everything they needed in advance to survive until spring. She was the best replacement the thieves could have asked for, and they were thankful she’d come into their lives before Crow had gone off to the inner kingdom with Penelope.

She was happy that she was staying with them too. For a while, she’d contemplated going back to Silverpool to be with her mother now that she was pregnant, but she’d ultimately decided to wait until spring, so she could make sure that Rikki and Alistair were cared for while they were still adjusting to life without Crow. Of course, she was still going to leave eventually—a cave was no place to have a baby—but for the time being, she’d turned her quarters in the hideout into a comfortable home. The thieves had given her the softest blankets and the warmest animal furs to make sure she wouldn’t get sick during the winter, and they always gave her first pick of their meals, so she could “eat enough for her and for little Simon.” They were endlessly considerate, and she couldn’t have asked for better company while she was carrying her late husband’s, their old friend’s, child.

That particular night, she’d volunteered to make their supper to return the favor for all the meals they had been making for her over the last few weeks. So she was the one sitting closest to the falls when they had an unexpected visitor.

At the sound of a familiar, feminine voice calling their names, all three of them looked up at once and turned toward the opening in the rock wall as the knight stepped into view. “Penelope?” Hazel blinked in surprise. She and the others had assumed it would be quite a while before they ever saw her or Crow again after they’d left. The sight of one of them now was perplexing, and she wasn’t sure whether she should be excited or worried by her appearance.

The thieves had apparently settled on the former. “Penelope!” Alistair exclaimed as he and Rikki both scrambled to their feet to hurry over to the lieutenant. He wrapped his arms around her in an unabashed embrace while she kept a slight distance, still battling through the emotional carnage of everything that had happened between her and Crow after the knight had come into the picture. Overall, Hazel thought she was doing much better and had accepted that things wouldn’t change, but she could tell the female thief was still a little bitter that he’d left her for a noblewoman. The lingering disappointment would take time to fully disappear.

“Is Crow with you?” Rikki asked tentatively, peering around Penelope’s shoulder with a hopeful glimmer in her eyes. They all knew what his real name was since he’d divulged it in his letter to them, but since they’d always known him as ‘Crow’ and not as ‘Collin,’ they still referred to him by the alias. Not seeing him with the knight, she turned back to Penelope with a puzzled expression, demonstrating the same confusion Hazel felt about the sudden situation.

Slower to react than the excitable criminals, the herbalist rose to her feet to join them as well, eager to hear the lieutenant’s explanation for her spontaneous visit that evening.

It had been a warmer greeting than the knight had been expecting. Penelope blinked in surprise as Alistair and Rikki scrambled over to her, the former even wrapping her up in a hug. After being the reason for Crow’s departure, she had expected a little more hesitancy at her appearance and perhaps some resentment from the thieves. While Rikki still kept a small distance, it seemed that Alistair held nothing against her. As for Hazel, well, the knight liked to think they were on good terms as well. Stepping back from Alistair, her gaze flickered over to Rikki as she questioned about Crow.

“He’s not with me but he is currently in Silverpool.” Penelope began with a small smile. Her gaze flickered over to the herbalist as she walked over to join them. She was about to go onto relay the message he had given her when Alistair spoke up, giving her a questioning gaze and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Why’s he in Silverpool? Last time he wrote us, I thought you two were planning some party.” He pointed out with a hint of confusion.

“We were. That was about a week ago. After that, we were able to convince the king to try to end the war with Younis peacefully.” Penelope explained with a small shrug. “The king didn’t waste anytime so Crow’s already on his way to Younis to negotiate with their king. With any luck, this war will soon be over.” Though she was glad to inform the thieves about the progress they were already making in the inner kingdom, that wasn’t the reason for her sudden visit. Waving her hand dismissively before the topic could be discussed further, she went on to add, “Anyways, I’m here because Crow wants to see you all. He said to tell you to meet him by the fallen tree halfway to Silverpool… I’m hoping you know what that means.”