“Control is overrated,” Crow murmured in a quiet retort, resting his head against Penelope’s. “I’d rather be weak willed and well rested.” His hold on her waist slackened as he grew more tired. He was quite a bit more tired than usual that morning. If he had to guess, he supposed it was probably because of how taxing the journey had been. Between all the walking, the ambushes, and the raid on the castle, his energy was spent. [i]We’re still so far from the border too,[/i] he thought with a sigh, closing his eyes wearily. [i]It couldn’t hurt if I nap for a little while…[/i]

[color=fff79a][b]“I don’t think it’s a good idea to fall asleep while riding a horse though,”[/b][/color] Penelope’s voice roused him from dozing off. [color=fff79a][b]“You might just fall off, and I’m strong, but I don't think I’ll be able to catch you.”[/b][/color]

“Fine,” Crow muttered, blinking his eyes open and sitting up a little straighter in the saddle. “But it was your idea to steal the horses, so if I die of exhaustion, you only have yourself to blame.” He yawned and proceeded to busy himself by looking at the trees around them in an attempt to distract himself from the swaying of the stallion beneath him. Absently noticing that the forest was growing a bit thinner, he wondered if either of the knights had a plan for when they would inevitably need to travel through the towns later.

After they had been riding for a while, the thief’s stomach began to growl. “I don’t suppose you have any food left in that bag, do you?” he asked, slipping his arms around Penelope’s middle and offering her a pleading smile.