Crow was relieved when Penelope agreed to switch her guard shift that night, even though she sounded reluctant. He had already caused her more than enough trouble when he had gotten captured by her brother’s patrol and when he had lost consciousness during their escape from her comrades. Even though she was eventually going to run away with him to Farhill, he knew she still cared about her job as a lieutenant and wanted to continue using it to help the people of the outer villages. He couldn’t let himself be the one to stand in the way of that. So, he was going to make sure there was no way for her to get caught up in the upcoming raid.

As she leaned further into him, he smiled softly. “You don’t have to worry about me,” he assured her when she told him to be careful. “This is what I do best. Now that I’ve recovered, there’s no way your comrades will be able to catch me again.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “By the time anyone even realizes we were there, my companions and I will be long gone.” Letting out his breath in a contented sigh, he closed his eyes as well, enjoying the remainder of his time with the knight before they would have to part ways.

After a while of lying beside her in silence, he finally moved to pull back from her. “I should let you get back to your camp,” he murmured reluctantly, stifling a weary yawn. “If we stay out here much longer, I’m afraid I really will fall asleep.” Forcing himself to get up off the ground, he offered Penelope a hand to stand as well. Once they were both on their feet, he gathered his clothes from the ground and slipped them back on. As always, he was struck with a longing to be able to sleep beside her rather than go back to his own, separate camp, but of course, it was still impossible. He just hoped they wouldn’t have to part for too long.

Thinking about the next battle, he wondered when they would be able to see each other again. He didn’t want to wait until the battle was over, since that would be over a week away. [i]It’s going to be close this time,[/i] he thought. [i]Perhaps we can squeeze in one more meeting before then.[/i] Turning towards Penelope, he decided to bring up the idea. “I know you’ll probably be busy with the battle coming up,” he started, stepping closer to wrap his arms around her back. “But do you think you can get away from your camp one more time before it starts? Say… another three days from now?” He simpered at her. “I’d like to see you once more before then if I can.”