Crow nodded when Penelope said they wouldn’t have to deal with William for much longer. He couldn’t wait to leave the stubborn knight behind at the border and to finally be free with her in the outer villages. Just the thought of it sent his heart racing excitedly. He drew her closer in his embrace, relishing their time together at the moment while also dreaming about the future they were going to have when they returned. It wouldn’t be much longer now.

“I can’t wait,” he pressed another short kiss to her forehead and grinned eagerly. “I promise; you’re going to love the outer villages, darling. When we reach the border, I was thinking we should go to Farhill first. It’s close to the village we stayed in at the beginning of our journey, but the people there are a little better off and more welcoming of newcomers. I’m sure they’ll be happy to take us in for a while, at least until we’re secure enough to find a place of our own.”

It was interesting to him how the thought of settling down was suddenly so much more appealing to him now that he was with Penelope. Before, he had never dreamed he would want to stay in one place for longer than a year or two, but now it almost felt natural. Of course, it wasn’t going to be easy because of his reputation, but he hoped that with time, they would have an opportunity to stop moving around and make a life for themselves somewhere safe from danger. [i]Maybe we’ll even be able to have children someday,[/i] he thought, smiling to himself. Fatherhood was another aspect of life that he used to think he would never be able to attain, but now, who knew? Maybe he [i]would[/i] be able to raise a son or daughter of his own in a few years after all.

His smile faltered slightly as he noticed Penelope take on a more serious expression. Her following words made his heart sink a little as he realized what she was trying to say: She wasn’t planning to come with him when he left to go home at the border. “Oh,” he murmured, averting his gaze disappointedly. He was glad that she was still intending to come to the outer villages to be with him, but he had been hoping they wouldn’t need to part ways at all.

[i]I suppose I shouldn’t have made that assumption without talking to her first,[/i] he thought. [i]Of course she would want to make sure her family is safe before she leaves them to be with me.[/i] Chewing on the thought a little more, he couldn’t deny that it made sense for her to go and see her family before she left them all behind. She obviously cared for them very deeply, and he couldn’t justify taking away her final moments with them just because he didn’t want to part with her for a short while. It would have been selfish of him to ask.

After a moment, Crow looked up to meet her gaze again. “I understand,” he said reluctantly, offering a somewhat forced smile. “So… how long will it be before you come back to the outer villages?”