To Crow, Penelope seemed almost afraid when he sat down next to her. She mentioned Olivia and he frowned suspiciously. What exactly did that woman say to make her so nervous? For a moment his heart stopped as a fleeting thought passed through his mind: [i]Did she tell Penelope the truth about me?[/i] But his fears were quickly put to rest when he realized that couldn’t be the case. Penelope didn’t have feelings for him, so she would have no reason to get so nervous… but that meant Oliva must have said something else to her. He wondered what it was.

“O-okay,” Crow blinked in confusion when Penelope quickly left him to help William and Abraxas. He sat alone, continuing to question what Olivia had done to turn Penelope against him so suddenly. [i]Perhaps she lied and said I only get close to female knights for personal gain?[/i] he chewed on his lip thoughtfully. [i]Yes, that has to be it![/i] It made perfect sense, given Penelope’s nervous attitude around him. He sighed. It was going to be difficult to come back from that one though. Even if he told her it was a lie, she had no reason to believe him. He would have to start over from scratch to rebuild their friendship. [i]That cursed vixen! She ruined everything.[/i]

It wasn’t long before Crow found himself with some unwelcomed company. Abraxas had stepped over to guard him since Penelope had chosen to help William finish packing up instead. The young knight stood over him, one hand placed cautiously on the hilt of his sword as if the thief could take off at any moment. Crow rolled his eyes. He knew it was technically well deserved because of his past, but he was getting tired of everybody treating him like a wild animal these days. He hadn’t had a true moment to himself since prison.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll go wait in the wagon,” Crow muttered, standing up. He walked over to the cart. Abraxas followed. He turned back around to meet the knight’s gaze, his expression being one of mild exasperation. “What, I can’t even take two steps without a babysitter?”

Abraxas stared at him innocently, “William said—”

“Of course he did,” Crow drawled. He turned away from his guard and made his way to the wagon, climbing inside and laying down against the blankets. Abraxas stood just outside, watching him for suspicious movements. The thief ignored him. He hoped Penelope would come to her senses soon and realize Olivia had been lying, so he wouldn’t have to deal with the other two knights much longer.