Crow let out a relieved sigh when they reached the shelter of the horse stables. They had managed to get inside just before the downpour began, so they were mostly dry. There were no windows in the thin stable walls, but he could hear rain pounding on the roof, accompanied by the howl of wind and the crack of distant thunder. It sounded like a pretty bad storm, so he was glad they had found somewhere safe to take cover. He had been caught outdoors in weather like this a few times in the past, and it was something he never wanted to do again.

“Me too,” he agreed, glancing at Penelope when she said she hated the weather. However, her expression caught him off guard. She wasn’t just upset about the storm. She seemed almost… afraid of it. He frowned, observing her quietly as she began to look around the stable. Was she scared of thunder? He couldn’t tell for sure, but he was certain that something about the storm had spooked the knight.

He moved away from the stable doors and followed her over to the pile of hay in the corner of the room. Instead of laying down to sleep though, he reached to take her hand, pulling her gently back towards himself.

“Are you okay?” he met her gaze searchingly. “It’s just a little thunder and lightning. We’re safe as long as we stay inside.” It was strange for him to see her so terrified. He hadn’t realized it until now, but some part of him had always seen her as fearless because she was usually so stoic. Before, she had been the one to calm him down when he was afraid of something, such as when she had helped him cross the river even though he couldn’t swim.

[i]She’s brave, but she’s still only human,[/i] he thought, lifting a hand to cup her face. It wasn’t that surprising that she had fears too. Everyone did. He supposed he just hadn’t seen any of hers until now.