Crow made quick work of his walk to Myrefall, scouting the area for knights along the way but finding none nearby. He shook his head to himself. His companions had no reason to worry as much as they did. He would have understood their worries if he had been going on a dangerous trip, but Myrefall was so close to their camp, he didn’t feel even the slightest bit tired from traveling all the way there. He was fine on his own. As long as he kept watch for knights, he wouldn’t find himself in any sort of trouble.

When he reached the edge of the village, he turned to head down the road that led to his old home. Again, he glanced about for local guards, but the streets were empty. It seemed he was lucky this time. As long as he didn’t see any knights on the rest of the way there, he wouldn’t have to hide at all. Feeling a bit more confident, he hastened his pace to a brisk walk, eager to see Penelope again as soon as he could.

Eventually, he saw the house down the road and a faint smile crossed his lips as he noticed the flicker of a lantern in the window. She was already inside. Heartbeat quickening in his excitement, he closed the rest of the distance and reached for the door handle, pushing the door open as he stepped into the room. He looked up and saw the knight sitting on the edge of the bed. Closing the door behind him, he didn’t even bother to take off his cloak before he made his way over to her and pressed a long kiss to her lips.

“Gods, I missed you,” he sighed after pulling back to meet her gaze again. Slipping his cloak off his shoulders, he hung it over the chair beside hers and then sat down next to her on the bed. “How did your camp react to your disappearance?” he asked, taking on a bit more serious of a tone. “They didn’t give you too much trouble, did they?”