“I still don’t get it,” Rikki propped her hands on her hips as she watched Crow pack a travel bag. “What’s so special about this girl that you have to see her right now?”

“I already told you,” Crow sighed. “I just have some business with her that I need to take care of. It’s personal, and it’s nothing you need to concern yourself about.” He slung the bag over his shoulder and adjusted it, so it fell comfortably against his back. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back in two days.”

“Are you sure you should make this trip by yourself?” she went on persistently. “Your wounds are still far from healed.” She stepped forward. “Let me come with you! I can help you if you run into any trouble.”

Crow let out his breath in exasperation, “I’ll be fine, love. Really.” He met her gaze, feeling a pang of sympathy for the thief as he noticed how worried she looked. In an attempt to comfort her, he reached out and gathered her in his arms, pressing her head to his chest. “I appreciate how you look out for me, but this is something I have to do alone,” he said softly. “I would tell you more if I could, but you’re just going to have to trust me. Alright?”

Rikki hesitated for a moment before she finally nodded, “Fine. Just… be careful. I don’t know what I would do if I lost you, Crow.”

[i]That’s exactly why I need to do this,[/i] he thought with a surge of resolve. “I promise I will,” he reassured her, stepping back again and meeting her gaze with a grin. “I’ll be back so quickly, you won’t even miss me.”

“I doubt that,” Rikki smiled halfheartedly. Leaning up on her toes, she pressed a kiss to his lips. He met her halfway, but instead of lingering as he normally did, Penelope’s face flashed through his mind, and he pulled back again. Now that he knew she was considering being with him again, he felt strange getting physical with Rikki. Even though he had no feelings for the thief that ran deeper than friendship, he wanted to take the knight’s offer more seriously. That meant no more fooling around.

Fortunately for him, Rikki didn’t seem to notice his discomfort. She said nothing about it as she stepped away to give him room to leave. “I’ll see you when you get back,” she said with a parting nod.

“See you then,” Crow returned the gesture. “Make sure Simon doesn’t get too big-headed about being made temporary leader until I’m back.”

“I’ll try my best,” Rikki snorted.

Crow smirked at her comment and turned to head up the side of the ravine, making his way west towards Silverpool.

--

Traveling nowhere near the knights’ camp, Crow had an easy trek through the forest. He walked at a leisurely pace, moving only as fast as he needed to reach Silverpool by nightfall. It had been a while since he had last been to see Evelyn and Hazel—he hadn’t stayed with them since before the last winter—and he wondered how they were doing now. He hoped the war hadn’t been too hard on them. The village of Silverpool was close to the Younisian border, so it wasn’t unlikely that they had seen quite a few battles already. However, even though he hoped they were doing okay, he also hoped that the fighting meant Hazel would be around to treat the wounds of the people in her home village when he arrived.

As day turned to night, Crow was beginning to think that Rikki hadn’t been completely wrong about his condition. His already sore wounds pained him even more after he had been walking for so long, and his energy waned to the point where he found it difficult to make it the rest of the way to the village. How much of the fatigue was due to his illness, however, he couldn’t yet say. All he knew was that he wanted a mug of Evelyn’s famous honey mead to quench his thirst and a bed in her home to sleep off his weariness.

To his relief, he arrived in Silverpool not long after the last light of dusk faded from the sky. He headed straight for Evelyn’s tavern, his heart beating a bit quicker with excitement at the thought of seeing the old woman again. When he reached the Black Dagger, he wasted no time in pulling open the front door and stepping inside. He made his way to the nearest table, his eyes roving over the room as he searched for the keeper.

After a moment, he spotted her carrying a tray of drinks to a group of peasant women on the other side of the room. From what he could tell, she looked to be in good health, and for that, he was glad. He sat back in his chair and waited, fidgeting with the hem of his tunic in his eagerness to see her again and his urgency to find out if her daughter was in town.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to wait long.

After she finished serving the drinks on her tray, Evelyn caught sight of him staring at her and made her way over to greet him. “Look who it is,” she mused with a glint of fondness in her eyes. “It’s good to see that you’re still alive and kicking. It’s been so long since I last heard from you, I was beginning to think you had gotten killed in this war.”

“Not yet,” Crow grinned proudly. “And I intend to keep it that way.”

Evelyn chuckled in amusement at his words, “Where are those friends of yours? The ones who you showed up with the last time you visited. Are you still traveling with them?”

“I am,” he nodded. “But I came here alone.” He shifted his weight slightly as he went on. “Truth be told… I came here to find someone specific.”

“Oh?” Evelyn quirked a brow. “And who might that be?”

“Your daughter, Hazel,” he answered, averting his gaze. “I have something I wish to speak to her about.”

“Is that so?” Evelyn mused. “Well, you’re in luck. She’s coming back to the village sometime tomorrow.”

“Really?” Crow looked up at her again in pleasant surprise.

“Yes, but I can’t promise she’ll be willing to speak with you. She still seems to hold a grudge against you for whatever it was that you did to her a few years ago.”

“I figured as much,” he sighed. Hazel could be a vengeful person, so it was no surprise to him that she was still mad at him for abandoning her when she had been expecting him to court her long ago. The last time they had seen each other, he had apologized for what he had done, but she hadn’t forgiven him even then.

Evelyn’s gaze softened slightly as she looked at him, “If you still wish to try to speak to her when she returns, I’d be more than happy to provide you with a bed for the night.”

Crow nodded, “I would appreciate that, thank you. The matter I came to discuss with her is important. I can’t leave until I try.”

“Well, I wish you the best of luck, Crow,” she rested a hand on his shoulder. “I know how hard-headed my Hazel can be, but I’m sure you’ll be able to get through to her if it really is as important as you say.”

“Thanks,” he gave a halfhearted smile, feeling a little reassured by the tavern keeper’s confidence.

“Mhm. In the meantime, let me bring you a drink,” Evelyn stepped back. “You look like you’ve been traveling all day and could use one.”

“Gods, yes,” Crow groaned. “I’d love a honey mead right now.”

“Of course,” the tavern keeper chuckled. “I’ll have that right out for you.”

Murmuring one last word of thanks, the thief watched her go. He smiled to himself, propping his elbow on the table and resting his chin in his hand. Though the journey had been long and his reason for coming wasn’t the most joyous, he was happy to be back in Silverpool.