When Penelope took his hand in hers, Crow felt a strange mixture of emotions. He shifted a little closer to her so their arms brushed against each other as they walked towards the castle. Her touch was calming, but it also reminded him that she was going to be with him in the castle. Even though she was fully competent as a knight, the raid they were about to perform would be completely different than anything she had done before. He tightened his hold on her small hand, suddenly feeling a wave of protectiveness. He wished she would just let him steal the staff on his own so she wouldn’t put her life at risk, but he already knew she would never agree to such a thing. She was far too stubborn to let him go in alone as long as she was still able to accompany him. There was no point in even bringing up the idea.

[i]It won’t be the same as last time,[/i] he thought, trying to convince himself. [i]Penelope isn’t reckless like Eligius was. She’ll be okay.[/i] Still, he subconsciously pressed a bit closer to her.

He met her gaze when she asked where they should meet inside the castle. “Hard to say,” he said, turning to look at the large wall in front of them. “I’d like to get in through one of the windows on the fifth level, since it would put me closer to the king’s chambers, but that probably won’t happen. It’s been quite a while since I’ve scaled the side of a building, so I don’t want to set a goal that I can’t currently reach.”

He paused for a moment, eyeing one window on the north face of the castle. “How about that one?” he pointed at it so Penelope could follow his gaze. “Third floor, second from the right of the battlement on the northeast corner. That looks doable enough.” He turned back to her. “We won’t be able to tell where that is from the outside, so you’ll just have to do your best to get as close as you can after you get inside.”