Crow averted his gaze from Penelope after he had finished speaking. He wondered why he had opened up to her like that. She was a knight. What difference did it make if she saw him as a mere criminal? He didn’t need her compassion. Sure, it was nice to have company on their journey, but it wasn’t real. They were enemies by trade; she was the law, and he was a lawbreaker. She would never understand him.

As she went on to speak back to him, he said nothing. He found himself coming to inadvertently understand her point of view, even though he had been trying to win her to his side. He also knew now that he would be unable to convince her to let him go without completing the assignment, no matter what he said or did. She cared too strongly about her family to spare one petty thief from a dangerous mission. He sighed. It seemed like he would have to go through with stealing the staff, after all.

Still, every fiber of his being protested against going back to prison. After tasting freedom for the first time in a year, there was no way he would be able to give it up again. He glanced back at Penelope. Maybe there was a way that they could come to a compromise. He had nothing to offer her in return for his freedom, so he would just have to hope she would be merciful… Although, a little bit of acting wouldn’t hurt his chances. If he could rekindle her friendliness towards him—even just a little bit—he might have a shot at getting her to come to an agreement.

“Fine,” Crow said reluctantly. “I suppose I can understand. The last thing I want to do is throw the kingdom into chaos—not because of the nobles, mind you, but because of the peasants.” He kicked another rock into the river. “They always come off the worst after a war. There are already so many dangers that come from simply living on the border—fatal diseases, rogue criminals, wild animals—so… if going to Younis means I can spare some families the strife that comes along with a war, then I guess that’s what I have to do. But,” Crow stopped walking and held Penelope’s gaze. “What about after? When I get the staff, the king will have what he wants from me. He can stop the war, and you won’t have to worry about your family. If I went home [i]after[/i] the assignment no one would suffer, right?” He took on a slightly desperate tone. “Couldn’t you at least let me have that?”