Crow laid on the ground for a moment longer before he got back to his feet. He turned to follow Penelope back to the village and then paused, watching her stumble when she moved away from the tree she had been leaning on. She looked completely spent of energy. It wasn’t surprising, considering what she had just accomplished, but he also knew she couldn’t make it back to the inn without collapsing. He sighed softly. In hindsight, he hadn’t done anything to help her when she had led him through the water; she had done all the work on her own to save him from drowning. He didn’t like owing a debt to a member of the king’s army, but technically she had saved his life.

He walked up beside her and took her arm, draping it over his shoulder, and then put his own arm around her waist. “Shut up,” he said before the knight could say anything. “This is a one-time thing; got it? And don’t tell me to back off. If you try to walk the rest of the way back by yourself, you’re going to collapse.” He adjusted his hold on her to better support her against his side and then casted her an amused smile. “You should count yourself lucky. I’m doing you a favor: something I’ve never done for a knight before and likely won’t ever do again.”

The thief took a careful step forward, checking his balance, and then started walking back towards the village, “Come on, I’m looking forward to getting some sleep just as much as you are.”