Crow blushed when Penelope said he lit up when he spoke of his home, both out of embarrassment at her words and the feeling of her warm breath on his ear. “I can’t help it,” he shrugged, eyeing her lips desirously as she got closer to him. “The outer villages are a great place to live. The only thing missing was you.” He winked at her as she moved in to kiss him and then met her lips with equal passion. Even though he knew they couldn’t let themselves get distracted for too long, he found it difficult not to chase after her when she pulled back again.

He contented himself by shifting to lean against her chest more comfortably as they rode on, his eyes roving absently over the side streets that they passed by. As she spoke up again, he nodded and followed her gaze to look up at the darkening sky, “We probably should, since it’s getting so late.” Lowering his gaze again to look at the town they were in, he vaguely recalled that this road was close to the marketplace where he they had first met Hartley. It wouldn’t be much longer now until they returned to Brerra.

Crow felt a mixture of emotions stir in his chest at the thought. He was excited to be so close to his homeland, but he was also sad to be leaving Penelope behind at the border. He wished there was some way that they could both leave together at the same time, but he knew she cared deeply about finishing the mission. He couldn’t ask her to go with him when she hadn’t achieved her goal yet.

[color=fff79a][b]“You know,”[/b][/color] Penelope’s soft voice drew his attention. [color=fff79a][b]“I think this has simultaneously been the best and worst mission I’ve ever had to do.”[/b][/color]

“The same goes for me,” Crow said with a yawn. “Although, this has technically been the only mission I’ve ever been on.” He smiled up at her tiredly as his weariness began to set in from the long day of traveling. “I can say with absolute certainty that this mission would have been much worse for me if you weren’t here, love.” The thought of going through everything with a third, strict guard rather than Penelope made him shudder. He was glad she was the one the king had chosen over any of his other knights.

“There’s an inn up ahead,” William called back to them suddenly. The older knight turned around in his saddle to look back at the others. He paused for a moment at the sight of them being so close, but then went on: “We’ll stop here for the night and continue to the border tomorrow.”