“That’s true,” Crow nodded when she said they wouldn’t have to hide anymore. They would probably still need to get away from William if they wanted to talk or be together in private, but he was glad that they didn’t have to pretend to just be acquaintances in front of the knight anymore. Maybe, with time, William would even get used to seeing them together and stop making bitter comments. He hoped so. The fight that had happened that night could have been much worse, and he didn’t know how much more prodding he could take.

He followed Penelope to the patch of grass as she said they should get some sleep. When they reached it, he laid down beside her and slipped his arm around her waist to hold her close to himself. Though he was relieved to have her beside him again, sleep didn’t come easily. His mind raced, filled with countless worries about the future. In Younis, they hadn’t needed to concern themselves with all of the barriers between them, but it wouldn’t be long before they reached Brerra and all of those barriers would come slamming down.

Now that William knew about them, any hope that they might have had to keep their relationship a secret from Penelope’s family and the other nobles was gone. The knight had made it perfectly clear that he intended to tell her father about them, and that was going to bring an entirely new wave of problems that the thief had never thought much about. He usually concerned himself with Penelope’s future, but now he was beginning to fear for himself as well.

If what William had said was true, he would need to be even more careful when he returned to the outer villages. He had only worried about his current enemies finding out about Penelope and trying to use his love for her against him. He hadn’t considered the possibility that John would hear about them and send knights from the inner kingdom to capture him. The wrath of an angry father was a beast he didn’t want to poke.

Unable to free himself from the thoughts that ravaged his head, Crow nestled closer to Penelope in the hopes that her presence beside him would help him find peace. Unfortunately, despite how exhausted he was from the events of the day, he still couldn’t sleep. Shifting restlessly, he let out his breath in a long sigh. [i]Please, just let this night be over quickly…[/i]