Crow opened his eyes again and looked at Penelope in confusion as she said she wasn’t mad at him for hurting her. He had been expecting her to be furious with him, but instead she seemed to simply acknowledge that it had been an accident. He relaxed slightly, just enough to be caught off guard when she went on to yell at him for nearly killing her brother. The anger in her voice made him flinch. He had never seen her so furious before, and for a moment he could do nothing but stand stiffly as she reprimanded him for his actions.

He didn’t know what to say. The look of disappointment on her face stung, and he wished she would have just punched him, because it would have hurt less. As she turned to go back into the tavern, he didn’t follow right away. Instead, he hung back, trying to sort through his thoughts.

He hated that she seemed to think he was just a heartless killer now. Yes, he had been willing to take her brother’s life, but that was only because the knight had been prepared to kill innocent people. He had only fought with him because it was what was best for the villagers. There wasn’t a better option… was there? He shifted uncertainly, suddenly not sure what to think.

“Wait,” before he knew what he was doing, Crow reached out to grab Penelope’s wrist. He faltered slightly and let her go again, shoving his hand in his pocket and lowering his gaze. “I know I can’t take back what I did, and you have no reason to forgive me, but… I’m sorry. At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing—I mean, he was about to kill a child for gods’ sakes,” he sighed, going on softly. “But he’s still your family, and I know how important he is to you. I shouldn’t have been so quick to look at him as just another knight.”

He forced himself to meet her gaze again, “I made a mistake, but I hope this doesn’t change how you look at me. I’m still the same man you knew. I just… I have a lot to figure out in this war, and knowing when and who to show mercy is something I haven’t mastered. If I err too far on either side, people die.” He shook his head. “It’s difficult to know what the right call is in the heat of a fight, and I’m far from perfect. I’m not going to get it right every time, but I’m going to try my damnedest to get better.”

The thief let out his breath in a long exhale, having gotten everything he wanted to say off of his chest. “I understand if none of that matters to you. I just needed you to hear it,” he muttered, averting his gaze again. “We can go inside now.”