Crow finished off the rest of his supper in silence, finding the last bit of stew more tasteless than the rest. Even though he had chosen not to defend himself against the knight, he couldn’t get Gavin’s words out of his head. He found it frustrating that Penelope’s former suitor thought he was treating his relationship with her like a fling. Though Gavin might not approve of it, most of the kingdom didn’t operate like the nobles in the inner cities. Formal courtship wasn’t practical for the people of the outer villages. Everyone courted to a degree, but they didn’t have traditions to fall back on like the knights, so they all made due with what they could.

He leaned into Penelope’s side, appreciative of her relaxing presence during the tense silence. Their situation was especially tricky, given their differing classes and their positions in the war. With so many barriers to overcome already, it wasn’t possible for them to have a normal courtship, even by peasant standards. It was a fact the thief had come to accept, and it annoyed him to know that Gavin was trying to use it to get between them. After all, just because Penelope was a noblewoman didn’t mean he had to court her in the same formal way that her ex suitor would have… right?

He closed his eyes and let out a long exhale, hating how the knight was getting in his head. There was still a part of him that felt like he wasn’t good enough to be with Penelope, that she would be better off with a man who could give her the life she deserved, and Gavin’s words hadn’t done anything to lessen that insecurity. While he didn’t believe he was disrespecting her in any way, he did wish he could do more to provide for her, or at least prevent her from losing everything else she cared about in order to be with him.

Lost in thought, Crow blinked a bit dazedly when Penelope addressed him. “Of course you are,” he offered her a half smile and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Pressing a soft kiss to her cheek, he rose to his feet and stretched tiredly, ready to sleep now that the rest of his energy was being spent on digesting his supper. He stepped over to his bag and grabbed his bedroll, unfurling it on a flat part of the ground for them to share.

Once the bed had been set up, he laid down and gestured for her to join him, wrapping his arms around her when she did. Glancing up one more time at the camp, he saw that Olivia had already passed out on her mat, while Gavin stood off to the side to keep the first watch. The knight was pointedly avoiding looking in their direction.

Crow pulled Penelope a bit closer to himself and touched a tender kiss to her lips. “I missed this,” he murmured, nestling his head against hers. With the knight by his side, he expected that he was going to sleep quite well that night.