“Alright then,” Crow said, leaning into Penelope a little more. “I’ll go tonight.” He planted a quick kiss on her cheek and sighed, watching the streets and growing forest around them. While he knew it was the best option he had, he was a little disappointed that his time with her was going to be cut short. He supposed they would just have to make the most of their time while they were still together that night.

--

The rest of the ride to the border passed by peacefully. Crow spoke idly with Penelope for most of it, savoring their casual banter and the feeling of closeness that was brought on by the way they were sitting on the horse. Even though they didn’t have much time left before he would take his leave of the knights, he was glad that the remainder of it was being spent in such a relaxing way.

Eventually, William found a spot to make camp just on the inside of the Brerratic side of the border. After all of the troubles they had seen in Younis, Crow found it relieving to finally be back inside his own kingdom. He climbed down from the back of the stallion with Penelope—noting that it would be the last time he rode the animal—and looked around their campsite. It was on the small side, but there was plenty of room for all of them to sleep comfortably.

William was already scouting the area around the clearing in search of any signs of mercenaries. While the knight was busy with that, Crow slid his arm around Penelope’s waist and pressed a kiss to her lips, taking advantage of the short time they had alone. “Gods, I’m going to miss this,” he murmured, holding her close to himself and kissing her once more on the forehead. “Next week can’t come soon enough.”