Crow shrugged when Penelope revealed that she had indeed seen him take the apple. It didn’t matter to him so long as he had something to fill his empty stomach. He could always find a way to sneak some more food later if he got hungry before lunch. He reached into his tunic and pulled out the fruit, lifting it to his lips to take a bite as the knight went on speaking. He frowned slightly in confusion when she told him to give back the dagger, and then remembered the attack the night before. Of course. She must have seen him use it to hit the noblewoman. In the midst of the fight, he had forgotten that he was supposed to keep the weapon a secret from her. He sighed in resignation and drew the dagger from his boot, holding it up to look at it one more time.

“The king spoils you knights,” he muttered wistfully, turning the small blade over in his hands. It really was a fine piece of work. The smith who made it must have been quite talented in his craft. Crow hadn’t seen a dagger as fine as the one he held now since he had raided the weapons storage of the citadel knights, and even then he hadn’t gotten a close look. He had been targeting the knights’ bows and arrows that night to disarm the bowmen—by leaving the archers with no weapons, his entrance and escape had been much easier—before he had gone on a second raid in the palace.

Still reluctant to hand the dagger over, Crow glanced up to meet Penelope’s gaze, “Is it really so terrible for me to borrow one weapon? As you said, I’ve already helped you once. Who’s to say that won’t happen again?” His eyes flicked to the front of the wagon and then back to the knight, and he lowered his voice. “William doesn’t have to know, and I’ve already shown you that I can be cooperative. Can’t we just keep this our little secret?”