Crow sat across the table from Hazel, shifting uncomfortably as the silence dragged on between them. He had just finished explaining the illness he had contracted to her, as well as showed her the medicine that the Myrefall herbalist had given him to control the symptoms. However, instead of telling him that she had a solution, as he had been hoping she would, the tavern keeper’s daughter had lapsed into deep thought instead. His heart sank as he began to realize that even Hazel didn’t seem to know how to approach his sickness.

After pondering his words for a while, Hazel reached out to take the vial of medicine that laid on the table. She turned it over in her hands, examining its contents with a keen eye. “So, you said this was what than old man gave you for your cough?” she asked with a frown.

“That’s right,” Crow nodded. “Do you think it will help you figure out a cure?”

“Can’t say,” she shrugged. “I wouldn’t count on it though. It sounds like whatever you’ve got is stemming from a deeper issue than just your lungs, and this concoction only targets that part of your body.” She set the vial down on the table again. “It’s no wonder you’re still getting worse. This stuff only hides one symptom.”

“Great,” he muttered. “So, is there anything at all that I can do to get better? Or at least slow the disease down?”

“Can’t tell you that either,” Hazel shook her head. “I’ve heard of this illness, but I’ve never seen it in person before. No one’s ever come to me to be treated for it.” She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. “I think the villagers of Myrefall have just come to accept their fate if they get it, because no one has ever cured it before. They probably think it’s impossible to recover from.”

“And what do you think?” he asked tentatively.

“I think I can give it my best shot, but you shouldn’t get your hopes up.”

Crow lowered his gaze. This wasn’t the news he had been expecting to hear at all. He had hoped that Hazel would have at least some idea of how to treat him, but instead, she sounded even more stumped than the herbalist in Myrefall. He sighed. Maybe there really wasn’t a cure after all.

[i]But what about Penelope?[/i] He bit the inside of his lip. She was off deciding whether or not to get back together with him, while he was hiding a crucial detail from her. If she came back tomorrow and said she chose him, he didn’t know what he would do. The selfish part of him wanted to just accept her offer and pretend like everything was fine so he could have a little more time with her, but he knew it wouldn’t be right to lie to her like that. [i]Maybe I should just tell her I changed my mind,[/i] he thought with a pained wince. [i]That way, she doesn’t have to know, and I won’t be ruining her life for nothing.[/i]

“Crow?”

The thief blinked and looked up again, meeting Hazel’s concerned eyes. “You’re awfully caught up in thought,” the herbalist frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said dismissively. “It’s not important.”

Hazel snorted, “Well, that’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one. But fine. You don’t have to tell me… just like you didn’t tell me when you were leaving five years ago.”

“That’s a low blow,” Crow glared at her. “Besides, I already told you I was sorry. How many times do I need to apologize for you to let it go?”

“Hmm,” she knitted her brow, pretending to think it over. “Seven hundred and two.”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous,” he rolled his eyes.

“You’re just upset because you can’t count that high.”

“Shut up,” he flushed. “Besides, you haven’t had an education either, so don’t act like you’re better than me.”

“I taught myself,” she smirked proudly. “I can count up to a thousand now.”

“Well that’s good for you, but numbers aren’t useful for thieves. I’d rather spend my time learning skills I’ll actually use.”

“Jealous.”

Crow shot her another glare but didn’t respond. He knew she was just trying to get under his skin, and he wasn’t going to let her have the satisfaction. Instead, he changed the subject, “Anyway, how are you going to approach treating my illness if you’ve never dealt with it before?”

“Same way I always approach a new challenge,” she said, seeming eager to talk about healing, since it was her specialty. “I’m going to make you take different poultices until something works.” She grinned. “I already know which plants work on what, so I just have to keep mixing them together and hope I find a cure for your disease along the way.”

“How long will that take?”

“As long as it has to. I could find a cure for you tomorrow or a year from now. It all depends on luck.”

“And if there is no cure?” Crow asked tentatively.

“Then you die,” she said simply.

“Glad we had this talk,” he muttered.

“Hey,” she frowned. “Don’t go and give up on me now. This could be a real opportunity here. You said this illness was common in Myrefall, right?”

“Yeah,” he furrowed his brow confusedly.

“Well then, if I’m able to find a cure for you, then I can make more of it to cure the people there too.” She leaned across the table to give him a critical nudge. “But you can’t give up on me. The biggest thing I’ve learned about fatal diseases is that a patient’s will to live is hugely important. If you accept that you’re going to die, then that’s what’s going to happen. I need you to hold on long enough for me to find that cure. Got it?”

“Got it,” he nodded solemnly.

“Good,” she stood up from the table. “Now then, I’m going to my mother’s tavern to pay her a visit. I need a break from your ugly mug, especially if I’m going to be spending any more time around you than I already had to.”

“Whatever,” Crow snorted. “So, I take it that means you’re planning to come with me?”

“I suppose so. But don’t think I’m doing this for your sake. I’m just using you, so I can learn the cure to another disease… just like you used me when you—”

“Alright already,” he interrupted dryly. “I get it. You’re still mad.”

“Looks like you’re not a complete idiot after all,” she winked. “See you later, snake.”

“Goodbye, love,” he muttered as he watched her leave. Once he was alone, he let out his breath in a long sigh. Glancing out the window, he saw that the sky had grown quite dark. It was a bit earlier than he normally went to bed, but after a long and taxing conversation with Evelyn’s daughter, he felt ready to get some sleep. He stood up from the table and headed into the spare room, laying down tiredly on the bed.

It took him longer than he expected to fall asleep. His mind wandered back to Penelope as he mulled over what to do about her tomorrow. He couldn’t decide if he should turn her down right away or wait and see if Hazel could find a cure for his illness. On one hand, if he told her he wasn’t interested in getting back together, he would save her the trouble of losing everything for nothing if he couldn’t be healed. However, on the other hand, if he said nothing and Hazel did manage to cure him, they would have a long and happy life together, and she would never have to know he had even been sick.

It was a difficult decision to make, and in the end, his exhaustion won out, and he drifted off to sleep before he could come to a conclusion.