Crow nodded when Penelope said she trusted him. He had suspected she would, but now that things were different between them, he had wanted to make sure she still trusted him rather than assuming she would come with him right away. He casted one final glance back towards the knights, who were only a building away from them now, and then turned back to her, “Follow my lead.”

Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a small, white parcel. It was nothing special, just a wooden container he had filled with dirt that was wrapped up in a cloth, but with any luck, it would distract at least one or two of the knights. He looked back towards them one more time, this time with a more hurried movement, as if he had been caught in the act of something, and then turned to sprint towards the woods, dropping the box behind them as they ran from the knights. He heard one of them call out after them, followed by the sound of footsteps as they took chase.

Peering back over his shoulder, Crow saw that his distraction had worked. Two of the four knights stayed back to investigate the useless parcel, while the others pursued him and Penelope into the forest. He smirked to himself. It would be easy to lose the remaining guards once they reached the western side of the woods, which was full of ridges and valleys. The knights would have a hard time keeping up and there would be plenty of places to hide once they put some distance between them.

“This way, love,” he grinned at Penelope, momentarily forgetting the awkwardness between them as he got caught up in the excitement of the chase. “Let’s teach them not to mess with us again.”