In his excitement to hear about the outcome of Penelope’s talk with the other knights, Crow traveled a bit faster than usual to Myrefall. It was fortunate for him that there still weren’t many patrols out so soon after the war, because he wasn’t paying as close attention to his surroundings as he normally did. Instead, his mind wandered to his eagerness to see Penelope again. As her soft smile appeared in his mind, his heart began to beat a little bit faster. However, in the next instant, Rikki’s voice echoed: [i]Be careful. She’s not one of us.[/i]

His upper lip twitched slightly in annoyance at the unwelcomed thought, [i]She was wrong. It’s just the remnants of my feelings for her. I’m not going to do anything about them.[/i] Having fooled himself into believing he was moving on, he felt more at peace as he made his way down the street that led to the Ivory Hatchet.

Now in the village, he slowed his pace so he wouldn’t stand out if any local knights caught sight of him and watched the alleyways between houses more carefully for signs of movement. While he was still excited to see Penelope, he couldn’t let himself completely forget about the possible dangers he might face if a knight chose to approach him. Still wounded from the last battle, he wanted to avoid fighting for as long as he could. So, he kept his head down until he reached the tavern.

Crow selected an empty table near the far end of the room. Now that he and Penelope were meeting there more frequently, he wanted to alternate where they sat so the regulars at the tavern would be less likely to notice their recurring visits. He sat down in a chair facing the doorway, so he could signal to the knight when she arrived, since she probably wouldn’t expect to look for him in the new location.

Shortly after he sat down, a wench came to ask him what he wanted to drink. He drummed his fingers on the table for a moment before answering her, “Two honey meads.” He figured that since Penelope had gone out of her way to help him save the villagers, the least he could do was pay for her drink.

“I’ll be right back with those,” the girl nodded.

“Thanks, love,” Crow offered her a friendly smile as she turned to fetch the drinks. Once she had gone, he turned back to watch the front door again, fidgeting slightly in his excitement as he waited for Penelope to walk through.