Feeling slightly awkward to be the only one still seated, Crow stood up while the knights talked amongst themselves. He busied himself by looking out at the village to see if anything had changed, but since it had been a few years since he had last been to this particular one, he couldn’t remember what it had been like before. As with all of the outer villages, it was quite rundown, but it didn’t seem to be in any worse of a condition than when he had last seen it. That much was relieving. He just wished William would let him wander a bit, so he could take a closer look and perhaps even visit the local tavern to speak with some of the peasants who lived here.

Despite his best effort to distract himself with other things, Crow found that his eyes frequently drifted back to Penelope. He was still marveling at the fact that he was looking at the same knight. For all her stiffness and stern expressions, she made a surprisingly gorgeous peasant. Her shoulder-length hair framed her face, and the dress she was wearing cinched slightly at the waist, showing off the curve of her figure. He glanced back at William as another thought crossed his mind.

“I think I’ve come up with a compromise,” he said. “Penelope is just as capable as guarding me as you are, so she can accompany me around the village, and you can do whatever it was that you were planning to do here. See? Everybody wins that way.” He turned to the female knight and wavered slightly. “Err… if you want to, that is.”

“Get ahold of yourself, thief,” William rolled his eyes. “You’re acting like a lovesick puppy.”

“Shut up,” Crow snapped, turning a bit pink. “I’m just not used to seeing her in a dress is all. She’s throwing me off my game.”

“Sure,” William scoffed. “But just in case you do get any ideas: Remember that she is a knight and you are a convict. Don’t forget your place.”

“I’m not ‘lovesick,’” Crow muttered vainly. “I’m only a bit surprised. That’s all.”

“If you say so,” William shook his head in obvious disbelief. “However, I will allow Penelope to guard you if she wishes to, as I’ll be busy taking care of other matters and won’t have time to babysit a childish thief.” He turned to the female knight. “What do you think? You’ve had to spend all day in a wagon with this fool. I would perfectly understand if you want to take some time off and let me take over.”