“I don’t know what the law was intended to be,” Crow mused, continuing to kick his rock down the path back through the village. “But I know it was warped by the king. The man is corrupt; he’s become a tyrant, and that’s what the law reflects. It’s all about taxes and money, taking from the poor and benefitting the rich. The law might have originally been intended to help the people of this kingdom long ago, but now it’s the force that keeps us all in shackles.” The thief rubbed his wrists, pining at the ghost of the chains that once bound them. He met Penelope’s gaze wistfully. “That’s why I have no respect for the law.”

Crow lapsed into silence as he listened to the knight speak about how he reminded her of her father. It was interesting to hear that they had such similar ideals despite the fact that they came from such different backgrounds and had such different personalities. If Penelope hadn’t testified to it, he would never have believed that John really cared about the people in the outer villages. The man was so curt and uptight. From their one meeting, the thief had pegged him as the type of mindless soldier that obeyed the king without question. Apparently his first impression had been quite wrong.

“Loyalty to a man with no heart is something I’ll never understand,” Crow said when Penelope had finished speaking. “But I suppose I can respect your tenacity.” He smirked at her cheekily. “It seems like we have a lot more in common than I thought, love. A knight and a thief, trying to make a difference in the world one small deed at a time.”

“There you two are!” A voice hissed from the shadow of a nearby hovel. William and Abraxas stepped cautiously into the open road that Crow and Penelope had been travelling on. The older knight shot the thief a glare: “We don’t have time for you to meander along. Those rebels could be on our tail as we speak! Hurry up and get in the wagon. We need to cross the border before they catch up with us.”

“Relax,” Crow held up his hands in a manner resembling the way one might calm a nervous horse. “They won’t be following us anytime soon. I set their whole camp on fire. They’ll be recovering from that for at least the rest of the night. We have time to rest and recuperate as well.”

“It’s that carefree that got you arrested in the first place, thief,” William growled. “I, for one, will not risk sleeping just because my enemies [i]might[/i] be preoccupied with other things. Now get in the wagon so we can head out.”