After a while of waiting, Crow finally spotted movement at the far side of the road. He watched the approaching figures cautiously, since he couldn’t yet tell if it was the knights he was looking for or another patrol that just happened to be searching around near Whitebridge. Fortunately, as the group came closer, he recognized Penelope walking at the front. He grinned eagerly and leaned away from the tree, taking a few steps towards her as she came over to greet him.

As she confirmed that she had managed to get permission for their trip to Aramoor, he slipped his arms around her back and looked down at her with a teasing smirk. “Well, I got stuck with the most beautiful knight in Brerra, so I’ve got no complaints,” he winked at her flirtatiously and touched a playful kiss to her lips. It was exciting to know that they were going to be able to spend the next four or more days together. He missed having her by his side all the time, and this was the closest they would get to returning to that lifestyle.

Behind Penelope, Gavin cleared his throat, “We should keep moving. It’s a long way to Aramoor.”

Crow rolled his eyes and took a step back from Penelope, although he stayed close enough to intertwine his fingers with hers. He would keep his word to her about not starting fights with the knight, but that didn’t mean he was going to let him get between them. “By the way,” he said as they began walking into the forest that led towards the village. “When we cross the river, we should make sure to refill our flasks. There isn’t another water source between Whitebridge and Aramoor besides that one.”

“My map says we’ll be crossing two rivers,” Gavin said with a frown.

“Sometimes,” Crow shrugged. “But we’ve had a dry season, so the smaller river dried up. Right now, there’s only one flowing, so we’ll need to take advantage of it when we get there.”

“I see,” Gavin muttered, seeming annoyed that there was something he hadn’t been prepared for.

Crow bit back a smirk, proud that his knowledge of the outer villages had trumped the knight’s. However, not wanting to upset Penelope again, he held himself back from prodding the other man about it and turned to her instead. “Have you ever been to Aramoor?” he asked, changing the subject to something that probably wouldn’t ruffle any feathers. “It’s a small village, but it’s got a lot of character. I think you’ll like it.”