“Alright,” Crow nodded when Penelope told him to be ready. Deciding he would probably need both hands to hold onto her when they started moving, he tightened the strap of the quiver on his back and slipped the staff underneath it so it laid securely against his shoulders without sliding around. It was also a good place to keep it since it would be hard for Penelope to touch it accidentally as long as he was sitting behind her.

As they started moving for the door to the stable, he slid his arms around her waist and smiled to himself, enjoying the feeling of being so close to her again. He had a feeling he was going to like horseback riding if it was like this for the rest of the trip. He could hold onto her in front of William without giving away their relationship to the older knight. It was nice to have a little more freedom than he was expecting to have with Penelope’s stoic comrade around.

He flinched when the stable boy called out to them, following Penelope’s command by wrapping his arms tightly around her middle so that his chest was pressed against her back. He held onto her as she brought her horse to a gallop, focusing on not falling off until they were far enough away that she could slow down again.

“Well, galloping is… [i]unpleasant[/i], if you know what I mean,” he answered her question with a wince, shifting slightly in the saddle. “But I like it when we’re just moving along like this.” He leaned around her shoulder to look ahead. “It’s a good vantage point for spotting enemies. If we run into any, I can even try to use my bow. I still have henbane on the arrows.”