Crow found it pleasant to be able to relax with Penelope even with William nearby. He was a bit surprised that the older knight was allowing them to be together, but he supposed it made sense, since he [i]had[/i] saved William’s life, after all. The knight owed him a debt greater than simply tolerating their unusual relationship. However, Crow wanted nothing more from him, so he was content with the way things were between them now.

Even though he was comfortable lying against Penelope, he sat up before they reached the inn, stretching his still-sore back. He was relieved that they would be spending at least one more night at an inn, since he wanted to recover a little more before trying to sleep on the ground again. If he had thrown out his back as he suspected, a soft mattress would be much better for him than grass and dirt.

When they arrived at the front of the building, he slid off of the horse’s back with some help from Penelope. He stood up straight and twisted at the waist to stretch a little more before turning to Penelope with a nod at her words. As the knights headed into the inn to purchase a room, the thief took the horses around to the stables in the back as per usual. Fortunately, no one else was inside at the time, so he had no trouble hiding the staff and bow behind some bales of hay.

Once that was done, Crow turned to go back to the inn, where Penelope was waiting for him once again. He stepped inside and smiled upon seeing her. Making his way over to where she stood, he reached to take her hand in his and leaned down to kiss her briefly.

“So,” he said after pulling back to meet her gaze. “Am I sleeping in my own bed again?” He ran a hand through her long hair as he looked at her. Even though he was still recovering, part of him wanted to risk his injury and sleep next to her anyways.