Crow glanced between Penelope and the physician until the latter turned away from her lieutenant in defeat to begin redressing his wound. Since he was unable to sit up on his own, she helped him by bracing one arm behind his shoulder and clasping one of his hands in hers. With her support, he managed to lift himself upright but grimaced as the motion sent a fresh wave of pain through his body. He could already tell it was going to be a while before he recovered from this injury.

As the physician got to work unraveling the bandages around his middle, he leaned back on his hands and looked up to listen to Penelope give him an explanation about what had happened after he’d passed out at the battle. Her voice was a welcomed distraction from the sting of his wound, which seemed to get worse as the noblewoman tended to it. He eyed the woman annoyedly, feeling quite certain that she was being rougher with him than she needed to be.

When Penelope mentioned that Gavin had been one of the knights to help him get to their camp, Crow raised a brow in surprise. Gavin was the last person he would have expected to keep him alive, especially after the knight had caught him working for Jaxon. He was just beginning to wonder if the man had helped him because Penelope had ordered him to, when the physician added something that dismantled that theory. He insisted? He mused curiously. Since when did he start wanting me to live?

“He knows we wouldn’t have found those thieves without the help of this one. He’s just repaying a debt like I am.”

Now it made sense. Crow frowned slightly and lowered his gaze, pretending to look over the sutured wound in his abdomen as the physician unraveled some clean bandages to redress it. During all the madness at the thieves’ camp, he’d forgotten about everything that had happened between himself and the two knights. He had gotten his hopes up again after Penelope had said she loved him, but he supposed she had just been caught up in the heat of the moment after all. He had still lost her trust. Nothing there had changed.

When the physician finished bandaging his wound, she helped him lay down again, so he wouldn’t accidentally reopen the injury. He was expecting both of the noblewomen to leave again, now that they had seen he was in a stable condition, but instead, he glanced at Penelope in mild surprise as she said she wanted a moment alone with him. Unsure what to expect, he just watched as the physician—whom he now knew was named Jane—left to care for her other patients.

In the next moment, Crow blinked as he felt Penelope throw her arm around him and bury her head against his neck, murmuring about how she’d thought she was going to lose him. Having been certain that she’d wanted nothing more to do with him after he’d lied to her, the gesture caught him off guard. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly lifted his unbound arm to hold her, averting his gaze to look off to the side. Just because she still had feelings for him didn’t mean she still wanted to be with him. Her words to Jane could still have been true.

“I thought so too, but apparently the gods are intent on keeping me alive for some reason,” he said with a faint shrug. Falling quiet for a moment, he bit the inside of his lip. Even though he knew he’d hurt her badly before, he still felt a strong desire to tell her his side of the story. At least then, if she still chose not to be with him, he could know it wasn’t because of a misunderstanding.

“So…” he started hesitantly, glancing back to meet her gaze with a wistful expression. “Have I earned a chance to explain myself? I promise I won’t lie this time.”

Penelope remained there for a moment, finding comfort in his touch. When he spoke up again, she finally pulled back slightly to meet his gaze. She wiped a few stray tears from her eyes and looked a little surprised as he asked to explain himself. Amongst all of the chaos, any pain from or thought of everything that had happened prior to the fight had been nearly forgotten by the knight. However, even as he brought it up now, it no longer seemed like a very big issue.

She had been planning to talk to him after Jaxon was dealt with but after all that had happened, it didn't feel important. He had only been trying to keep her safe, even if it was in a way that she didn't completely agree with. His lying had hurt her but the pain from nearly losing him was far worse. Penelope offered him a half-hearted smile. "You know you didn't have to throw yourself in front of a blade for me to earn that, right? I was going to talk to you after everything with Jaxon was settled." she sighed softly and shook her head before leaning down to press an affectionate kiss to his cheek.

"If you'd like to explain yourself, I'll listen." she assured him as she reached to brush a strand of hair from his face. Penelope paused as she felt her throat grow a bit tight with emotion again causing for her voice to grow a bit shaky as she added, "Honestly, I'm just glad you're alive."

Penelope’s reaction was confusing to Crow. For a woman who had decided to leave him, she was acting much more affectionate than he’d been expecting. As she pressed a kiss to his cheek, his heart began to beat a little quicker in his chest as another thought came to him. What if she’d changed her mind? Given the way she was treating him now, it almost felt like nothing had changed between them. What if she had decided not to leave him after all? The thought made him feel warm with relief. Still, it didn’t change the fact that he wanted to make sure she knew he hadn’t been lying to her out of ill intent.

“Well, I had to get your attention somehow,” he said teasingly, casting her a lopsided smile. “I just saw an opportunity, and I took it.” Now that his internal fears had died down some, he found that he was beginning to relax in her comforting presence. He ran his hand gently down and up the length of her back, gazing at her with affection. “All joking aside, taking that sword was worth it if it meant you would live,” he added softly, shuddering at the thought of what might have happened if he hadn’t made it to her in time.

As she told him that she would listen if he wanted to explain, he nodded, glad that she would let him speak. However, before he could even utter a word, he frowned as he heard her voice tremble when she added that she was glad he was alive. He didn’t like seeing her look so sad. So, instead of jumping right into his defense, he took a moment to pull her closer to himself, resting his hand on the back of her head and pressing a soft kiss to her cheek as he let her lean on his chest.

“I am alive,” he murmured, stroking his fingers through her hair. “And I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, so you don’t have to worry.”

Penelope felt another hint of relief at hearing him joke, another reminder that he was in a stable condition now. As he added it was worth it to save her, she gave a small sigh. While she was glad they had both made it out alive and was grateful for him saving her, she wished that it hadn't meant him taking the sword for her. She had been much too close to losing him. As he gave a nod, seeming ready to explain himself, the knight tried to pull herself together some so she could listen to him. She waited for Crow to begin and was caught off guard as he pulled her closer instead.

She relaxed and closed her eyes for a moment as she enjoyed his embrace. At his words, she blinked and shifted her weight slightly as she was reminded that he wasn't completely safe yet. While Jane may have treated his injury, the barons had yet to decide on what to do with the thief. If they decided to kill the thief or send him to prison before he healed enough to escape, there wouldn't be much Penelope could do to save him. "I hope you're right about that.." she mumbled with a deep frown.

The knight pulled back slightly in order to meet his gaze, her green eyes concernedly shifting to his. "In order to get you here and get them to treat you, I-I had to come clean about working with you to capture Jaxon." she admitted. "My barons and most of the knights aren't pleased with me and they still haven't figured out what they're going to do with you yet. I'm going to try to get them to wait until you're better but my opinion doesn't hold much to it right now.."

Crow closed his eyes peacefully as he enjoyed resting with Penelope. Even though the circumstances weren’t the best—his body still ached, and he hated the feeling of being put in chains yet again—he was glad that she was by his side. Her presence made the discomfort easier to bear. However, the moment of respite was short lived as he heard her murmur that she hoped he was right. He frowned, wondering why she wasn’t as optimistic. His wound was healing, and as long as he rested, he felt sure that he would eventually make a full recovery. He was just about to express this to her when she spoke again, telling him that her barons hadn’t decided what to do with him yet.

I guess that explains these, he thought, his eyes drifting down to the chain cuff around his wrist. Though he kept a neutral, contemplative expression, the news that Penelope hadn’t convinced her leaders to let him go when he recovered was concerning to him. He hadn’t realized it until now, but he supposed he had just assumed that she had taken care of everything and that he would be released to go home whenever he had healed enough to move on his own. To find out that his freedom was on the verge of being taken away again was unsettling.

Oh gods, I don’t want to go back to prison again, he thought, closing his eyes and letting out a long sigh. The last time had nearly driven him mad. He couldn’t even imagine how torturous it would be to wind up back in a cell after tasting freedom for the last two years. Just the thought of it made him feel sick.

But he didn’t want to worry Penelope.

“I’m sure we’ll figure something out,” he met her gaze again to offer her a reassuring smile. “We always do.” Lifting his head slightly, he met her lips in a tender kiss and then pulled back, looking off to the side as he prepared himself to speak to her about why he had been sneaking around behind her back lately.

“So… about what happened,” he shifted uncomfortably. “I was being honest when I told you Jaxon had been threatening me... The day we got back from Aramoor, I stayed in Myrefall for the night, and Jaxon showed up at my house.” He turned back to meet her gaze somberly. “He had found my companions somehow while we were gone on the trip and forced them to tell him where I was. That was how Simon died: He killed him even after Hazel told him about our meeting spot in the village.” He winced at the memory. “Anyway, he showed up and told me that if I didn’t cover his tracks from all the knights, he would kill you. He also told me not to say anything to the same consequence.”

He lifted his right arm slightly to show her the still-healing cut on his forearm, “Also… I lied about this too. I didn’t get it from a bounty hunter. It’s the mark Jaxon puts on all his followers as a sort of symbol of our agreement to work for him.” He studied Penelope’s face, hoping the wound would be proof enough for her to see that he wasn’t lying to her now. “As for the rest, I think you already know... Gavin was right about almost everything.” He lowered his gaze shamefully. “When we were in Wheldrake, I did tamper with the food, and I was the one who spread the word to the villagers that you and the other knights were coming to question them.

“But I only did it because I didn’t have a choice,” he went on. “Jaxon has ears everywhere. If I didn’t follow his orders, or if I tried to tell any of you that I was working for him, he would have killed you. I had to do it.”

He closed his eyes, “As for the request I made of Jaxon the night you followed me… All I can say is, I’m sorry. It was starting to look like Younis was going to win this war with Jaxon’s aid, and I was afraid of losing our future together. I just… I just thought that if there was a way to prevent you from being imprisoned and me from being enslaved, then it was worth the sacrifice.” He shook his head dully. “I guess it doesn’t matter anyway, since Jaxon was just planning to kill me for my bounty near the end of the war. Gods, I was a fool to turn to that bastard for help.”

Crow looked up again to meet Penelope’s gaze apologetically. “I think that’s everything you didn’t know about… I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for being such a bad partner, because I really do want to try harder to get better at this.”

Penelope gave a small nod and returned his smile with a small one of her own and leaned in to meet his lips as he kissed her. She hoped he was right but the knight continued to worry about what would happen in the coming days. She was certain quite a few knights would be pushing for the barons to simply end the thief and her own brother would likely be a big supporter of that move as well. Her hands were rather tied on how much she could do without giving away more about her relationship with the thief, making the situation even more difficult.

As he pulled back and began to tell her his side of the story, she listened quietly. Most of it wasn't too shocking to hear and other parts put her slightly more at ease about the whole situation, especially hearing that he hadn't been working for Jaxon since the beginning like Gavin had suspected. Penelope trusted his words rather easily. There was no sense in being worried about him lying now anyways, Jaxon was dead and Crow was free from his threats.

When he brought up the request he had made of Jaxon, she shifted her gaze away. That part did manage to still bother her slightly more than the rest since there was still a chance of the war going south for their kingdom. She supposed she could understand his desire to protect their future but she didn't want it to be at the cost of the other people she cared for and their comrades. As he met her gaze again, she gave a small nod.

"I still wish you would have just taken the risk and at least told me about Jaxon threatening you like that." Penelope mumbled softly as she looked down at him. "And as for the deal with Younis," she hesitated, frowning slightly at the mention of it. "I don't want to lose our future either but.. but I have to protect my friends and family too. I can't just abandon them or ignore threats to their safety." She shook her head then gave him a half-hearted smile and leaned down to touch a kiss to his forehead. "But, I've already forgiven you though, Crow."

The knight paused and lowered her gaze as she thought a bit about how she had confronted him that night. She grimaced slightly as she thought about how she had treated him and some of the hurtful things she had said to him. If she had listen to him or even let him continue to work with them, maybe they would have had a better outcome than the mess they were currently in. Perhaps he wasn't the only one of them who needed forgiveness.

"I'm sorry too. About how I acted and what I said to you that night." she told him as she gave him an apologetic look. "I was just hurt and I.. I didn't understand how you could be working for that murderer." A look of guilt flashed in her gaze as she glanced down towards his wound. "Maybe if I had just listen to you then, you wouldn't have gotten hurt... I hope you can forgive me too."

Crow looked away guiltily when Penelope said she wished he had come to her sooner. Reflecting back on everything, it probably would have been the better move to tell her what had been happening, so they could have worked on finding a solution together. However, at the time, he had been too worried about her safety to even consider doing that. It had seemed safer to go along with what Jaxon had wanted to keep the murderer from killing her. He supposed his fear of losing her had blinded him to making the more rational decision, and Jaxon had used that to manipulate him.

As she went on to bring up the alliance he had been willing to make with the Younisian baron, he shrank a little beneath her words. He was well aware that working for the enemy kingdom was far from the most honorable thing to do, but again, he had been afraid of losing her. Even though it pained him to turn on his homeland—especially the people of the outer villages—he cared more about ensuring his future with the knight than he did about fighting a losing battle to make sure everyone would be safe. Besides, his skill set didn’t do much for the battles anyway. Sure, he could fight decently enough, but he was just one man on the battlefield. He could do much more in the shadows, stealing from or sabotaging the knights.

The thought made him pause. He and his companions had been prepared to work for the Younisians because the baron had offered to pay them, but if he was honest, he didn’t really care about the money. All he wanted was his future with Penelope. Even though the Brerratic knights had made no such offer to form a real alliance, what was stopping him and the other thieves from simply working to sabotage the Younisians by themselves? They had made it this far without the help of their own kingdom. They didn’t need it now. His heart began to beat a little quicker as a plan started to piece itself together in his mind.

Crow glanced back at Penelope as she apologized for everything she had done to him on the night she had found out about his dealings with Jaxon. When she brought up his wound, he frowned and pulled her closer. “You can’t say that,” he murmured. “There’s no way we could know if anything would be different, so you can’t blame yourself for what happened.” He offered her a smile. “I was the one who decided to stand in the way of that sword, love. It was my decision alone, and I’m not going to let you try to pin it on yourself when it had nothing to do with anything you did.”

“As for everything else,” his smile faltered. “I understand why you would have been upset after everything I kept from you, so I’m not angry.” He sighed. “You were right that I should have come to you about it. In hindsight, I wish I did.” Holding her gaze, his expression softened, and he reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m just glad everything seemed to work out on its own, regardless of the choices either of us made.”

Feeling a burst of affection for the knight, Crow leaned up slightly to meet her lips in a kiss. He closed his eyes and trailed his hand down her back, losing himself in her touch. After a moment, he pulled back again with a grin. “I guess there’s one perk to getting impaled,” he said jokingly. “Because now I get to see you more often.”

Penelope relaxed as Crow assured her that his wound had nothing to do with her and that he understood why she had acted the way she did. She gave a small smile as he tucked away a strand of her hair. "So am I." she agreed softly. She met him as he leaned up to kiss her and closed her eyes peacefully as she returned it, relishing in his touch as she felt his hand trail down her back. She moved to rest a hand against his cheek and smiled at him as he eventually pulled back.

"I guess there's that." she said with a soft chuckle. Her smile faded slightly and she let out a small sigh. "Although, I'm not sure how much I'll actually be able to visit... I don't want to raise anymore suspicion than I already have after admitting to working with you." The knight had to be very careful in the coming days. She had claimed that she had just saved him because he saved her and because he wasn't the one responsible for the raid on their camp but spending too much time with him could lead to others to guessing they were closer than she claimed. Even if they just thought the two were friends, it would surely cause for issues in getting him out of the camp.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she caught the sound of footsteps approaching and she quickly backed away from Crow. Penelope turned and put a bit of distance between them as she looked over to see who was about to enter the tent. The flap shifted and two familiar faces stepped inside. She relaxed again as Olivia and Gavin appeared, holding three bowls of food. Olivia's gaze landed on Penelope and she flashed her friend a grin.

"Oh hey you were right. She is here." she told Gavin with a smirk before her gaze shifted past Penelope to Crow. Her smirk widened into a grin. "Well look who's awake. Public enemy number one."

Gavin glanced towards Crow, awkwardly shifting his weight before looking to Olivia. "Yeah and two, three and four," he grumbled as he pointed to Penelope, himself and Olivia respectively. "have all gathered as well."

"Sorry.. I would have tried to get you guys out of being grouped in with me but we've been patrolling together so I didn't think they'd buy it." Penelope frowned as she shifted to move closer to Crow again now that she knew it was just her two friends that had joined them. "What are you two doing here anyways?"

"I figured you would go straight here after your meeting without getting any supper." Gavin said with a shake of his head.

"So instead of letting you starve yourself, we decided to bring it straight to you." Olivia announced as she offered the second bowl that she was carrying to Penelope.

Penelope blinked and took the bowl of stew. "Thanks. I could have gotten it on my own though."

"I doubt you would have. The only time you've taken a break since the battle was a four hour nap before you had to go to speak with the barons." Gavin grumbled, shaking his head. Penelope flinched slightly at that and shot the male knight a silent look of pleading for him to stop speaking about it in front of Crow, since she didn't want to worry the thief. It was true that she had been pushing herself quite a bit since the battle occurred. She had been worried sick about Crow and then had to deal with the barons. There had been no time to concern herself with, well, herself. The most she had done was hurriedly wrap up her wounds in bandages and take a nap that Mia insisted on

Gavin shrugged and hesitated as his gaze drifted over to the thief. "Have you eaten?" he asked with a hint of reluctance.

Crow leaned his cheek into Penelope’s hand, enjoying the chance to be so close to her again after everything that had happened. At her words, he nodded, understanding that, while they would be near to each other as long as he was bound to her camp, she would raise some suspicion if she spent all of her time with him. She was going to have to tread carefully around her comrades until things settled down, if they ever did. Still, he was glad that she would be close by.

“Even if you can’t be here often, it’s better than meeting every four days in the middle of the night,” he pointed out with an optimistic smile. In the next moment, he tensed reflexively as he heard the sound of footsteps outside the tent. Penelope seemed to have noticed them too, as he felt her move away from him to make it seem like they had just been talking formally. Glancing towards the entrance of the tent, he was mildly surprised to see that it wasn’t Jane, but Olivia and Gavin who had come to join them.

At Olivia’s comment, Crow returned her grin. “I couldn’t stay down forever,” he quipped with a shrug. “I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”

At Gavin’s following words, Crow glanced at Penelope, curious what he was talking about. From her response, it sounded like she hadn’t been the only one to get caught working with him. He wondered what their barons had said about it. After all, they couldn’t have been happy to find out that some of their subordinates—even one lieutenant—had been colluding with a criminal behind their backs. Even if the information he’d ended up giving them had ended the sabotage of their battalion, nobles were too proud to admit that a thief like himself could be a valuable ally. They probably would have preferred to suffer on their own until they found Jaxon without any unsavory help.

The thief listened quietly as the knights began to talk amongst themselves. So that’s why they came here, he thought, glancing at the bowl of food in Olivia’s hand as the female knight explained that they had brought it for Penelope. He looked up at her with a frown upon hearing that she hadn’t eaten yet. It was difficult to tell the time from inside the tent, since the space was only lit with a dimly glowing lantern, but based on what he could see through the opening whenever someone entered or left, it was quite dark outside—well past the time when supper was normally eaten. He was glad her comrades had thought to bring her some food.

Crow was further concerned when Gavin added that Penelope hadn’t rested very much since the battle against the thieves. He supposed he could understand that she had been worried—if their positions had been reversed, and she had been the one to receive a near fatal wound, he would have been just as scared—but he didn’t want her to forego her own needs for him. He had seen her get injured during her fight with Jaxon too. Even if it wasn’t to the same degree as what he’d received, she still needed to take care of herself.

“Have you eaten?”

Crow blinked and looked up at Gavin, surprised to hear such a question come out of his mouth. Ever since the knight had caught him meeting with Jaxon, tensions between them had risen to an all-time high. He had thought the man wanted him dead. Suddenly, he recalled what Penelope had said about Gavin being one of the knights to help carry him to their camp, and he wondered if her former suitor’s opinion of him had changed too.

“I haven’t,” he answered, shifting slightly on the bed. The chains on his wrist and ankle clattered obnoxiously against each other, and he winced, the noise reminding him of his time in prison again. “To be honest, I’m not sure I can though,” he added as he looked down at the bandages around his middle. Given where his wound was located and his lack of appetite, he guessed it was going to be at least a few days before he was healed enough to eat. He turned back to the knights with a hapless smile, “I don’t think I can stomach anything while I’ve got a hole in my gut.”

Penelope side glanced at Gavin, a bit surprised that the male knight was being considerate of Crow. His attitude towards the thief had changed greatly ever since the battle. She knew it was because he had seen him save her but it was still surprising. Although, she also noticed that her friend had seemed a little more somber as well. He hadn't said what was bothering him but knowing him well enough, Penelope knew that there must have been something that changed during the battle.

As Crow replied to him and admitted that he likely wouldn't be able to eat for a while, she gave a small nod before casting him a worried look. "Makes sense.. Although I hope that doesn't weaken you even more. Your recovery is already going to be a long process." she mused with a small frown.

"Jane probably knows something to help with that." Gavin mused dismissively as he moved to sit down a ways away from the others in Jane's chair. He ate a bit of his food and leaned back against the seat as his gaze flickered over the supplies the physician had in her tent. Swallowing his food he added with a sigh, "If she's willing to that is.. She might end up wanting to prolong your recovery."

"That's true." Olivia agreed as she flopped down onto the ground to eat near them. She looked up at Crow with a smirk. "A lot of people sure want you dead.. Including a certain someone's brother."

Penelope frowned at Olivia's words and looked down at her stew with a troubled expression. Of course Layth was pushing for Crow to be killed and it would be difficult to convince him that the thief had any value alive. She just hoped that his way of thinking didn't spread to the barons. She let out a sigh as she ate a bit of her food.

"That's also another reason we came to find you Penelope." Gavin said as he lifted his gaze to rest on her. "I'm sure you were already planning to put together guards for him but unfortunately... So is Layth." His dark gaze shifted to Crow, looking at him with a serious expression. "The knights he's trying to get to watch you aren't ones that you'll want to deal with... They might be ordered not to kill you but knowing how infuriating you can be, they'll probably be tempted. Killing might be off the table but giving you additional injuries isn't."

“Hopefully not,” Crow mused in agreement, gingerly touching the bandages around his middle in a contemplative gesture. The wound beneath pained him slightly in response. “I appreciate the help your comrades have given me and all, but I want to get out of this place as soon as I can.” Not only was he worried about what the knights might do to him, he was also concerned about his companions. For all they knew, he was dead. Even if Hartley had made it to them, the boy had last seen him bleeding out on the battlefield, so he probably would have confirmed it. The thief didn’t know what they would do without a leader but, knowing how impulsive every one of them could be, he didn’t want to think about it. He found himself wishing once again that Simon was still alive, since the level-headed man was the only other one amongst their group who had the capabilities to take over for him.

As Gavin spoke up about the physician, Crow turned to look at him with a frown. It was probably more correct to assume that Jane wouldn’t help him any more than she already had to. She was barely treating him as it was, and after the way she had dressed his wound so roughly, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she chose to withhold a medicine that could keep his strength up. Honestly, it would have shocked him if she gave him anything other than water to keep him alive.

He glanced at Olivia and smirked snidely at her comment, “Yeah, apparently stealing treasured possessions from other people can make some enemies. Who knew?”

His lighthearted expression faded as Gavin went on to bring up what Layth was doing. The knowledge that Penelope’s brother was pooling together guards for him was unnerving, to say the least. He shifted uncomfortably. Given how vulnerable he was in his current state, it wouldn’t be hard for someone to “accidentally” hurt him. He didn’t like the thought of being left alone with any nobleman he didn’t trust, especially one handpicked by someone as cruel as Layth.

“Well, that’s just great,” Crow huffed, suddenly feeling irritable and a little restless. He wished he could get up from the cursed bed. Between his illness and all of the serious injuries he’d taken lately, he had spent far too much time on his back. He itched to move freely about again. Looking up at the canopy, he let out a long sigh of annoyance, “I give, and I give for you knights, yet someone always seems to conveniently overlook my sacrifices. I’m almost tempted to give that brother of yours a piece of my mind, love.”

“If you want to keep your tongue, you should think twice about that,” Gavin said in a warning tone. “That’s why I brought it up. If Layth stations his guards here, they likely won’t hesitate to injure you if you give them a reason to do so.”

“That’s why I said ‘almost,’” Crow muttered bitterly, averting his gaze. He shifted again, but wasn’t able to moved much before the chain on his wrist pulled taut and restricted his motion. Somehow, the metal restraint only served to frustrate him more. “Gods,” he groaned. “Why did they have to put these ridiculous things on me? It’s not like I could go anywhere, even if I tried. Useless cuffs…” He trailed off as he gave the chain one more spiteful tug.

Penelope shifted uneasily at Gavin's words. They hadn't set up a strict guard schedule for the thief yet, mainly because they figured he was still unconscious. Once word of him being awake got around, she was certain that the barons would want to assign guards to him and the fact that Layth was already getting some together was concerning. She could already guess that she wouldn't approve of his choices, knowing they'd only put Crow at further risk.

She tuned back into the conversation as she noticed Crow growing more irritable. She glanced down at the chain as he gave it one more tug. The knight frowned and took his hand in hers. "I'd take them off for you if I could but I'm sure that wouldn't go over well... I don't even know who put them on, actually." she admitted with a glance towards Gavin. He had been with Crow when they first arrived to camp so she assumed that he knew where the chains had come from.

"I put them on because Jane insisted on him being chained up." Gavin informed her with a small shrug. "It's part of how I got her to agree to treat him in the first place... I think she put the key in one of her book somewhere."

"Good to know." Penelope sighed then looked back down at Crow. She knew the thief didn't like feeling so trapped and guessed that his attitude had taken a dip because he seemed to be getting more constricted as time went on. Wanting to offer him a bit of comfort, she gave him a reassuring smile and rubbed her thumb comfortingly over the back of his hand. "I'll prevent Layth from getting his way somehow. I'll try to convince my barons that dealing with you until they figure out what to do should be my duty since I was the one who brought you here in the first place. They might not like that I worked with you but they saw positive results so hopefully I can use that fact to my advantage."

She leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Then you'll just be stuck with me, these two—if they agree," she said with a hopeful glance towards Olivia and Gavin. After they both gave her nods of agreement, she relaxed, glad that they would be willing to pick up a couple guard shifts with Crow. She didn't like having to drag them in further to this mess with her but she didn't have many other options. Looking back to Croww, she went on, "and maybe a few others that I believe will be easy enough for you to deal with."

Still on edge from everything the knights were telling him, Crow tensed slightly as he felt another hand slip into his. He looked up again to meet Penelope’s gaze and relaxed a bit, intertwining his fingers with hers to take comfort in her touch. He nodded when she said she would remove the chains for him if she could. Even though he hated the feeling of being tied down like this, he didn’t want her to risk getting into any more trouble with her barons. She had already done more than enough by bringing him to her camp to be healed in the first place. He couldn’t ask her to unbind him on top of that.

It’s just until I’m healed enough to get out of this place, he thought, trying to calm his temper. I can handle that much. Although, with the way the metal cuff was already starting to chafe at his wrist, he wasn’t so sure. He let out a long exhale, wishing he still had his pick lock key.

As Penelope tried to assure him that she would stop her brother from choosing his guards, Crow just nodded wordlessly again. He hoped she was right that she could convince her barons, but after what she’d told him about their dwindling trust in her, he wasn’t so sure. Layth could be a stubborn man, and he despised the thief, so Crow knew he would put up a fight to get his way. Even if the hotheaded knight managed to assign one guard to him, he was going to have to keep his guard up. He shuddered. It was a good thing he was a light sleeper, because he had a feeling he might need to stay alert in the upcoming days.

Crow softened a bit when Penelope leaned down to kiss his forehead. Despite his doubts, her confident words did make him feel better. Maybe she could pull this off after all. He glanced between the three knights in the tent with him. Even though he would have preferred to just have her as a guard, he supposed the other two wouldn’t be so bad. Olivia was decent enough company whenever she wasn’t up to no good, and Gavin… He eyed the other man from across the room. Well, he still wasn’t sure what to expect from him, but he knew he could at least trust that the knight wouldn’t hurt him. That was good enough for now.

As for the other knights that might come to guard him, he trusted Penelope’s judgement. Whoever she picked, whether he liked them or not, would be acceptable watchmen.

“I’d put in a good word for you if I could,” he shrugged with an edge of sarcasm. “But unfortunately, I don’t think my criminal voice would do very much to help.” He shook his head and looked up at her with a halfhearted smile. “Thank you though… I hope your barons are willing to listen.” He paused, frowning slightly as he remembered what Gavin had said about the little rest she had gotten since the battle. While he enjoyed having her by his side, he didn’t want to keep her from recovering from her own injuries.

“You know, I’m feeling much better than before,” Crow said slowly, offering her a soft smile and giving her hand an affectionate squeeze. “I should be fine on my own now. You should go and get some sleep.”

Penelope was glad that to see Crow relax slightly at her efforts. She returned his smile with a small one of her own and nodded her head in agreement. Though the knight spoke confidently, she wasn't actually so certain she'd be able to convince her barons. It would be difficult enough just because she was currently on thin ice with them, adding her brother to the mix of that likely wouldn't go over well. Afterall, she didn't doubt that he would give in to her wanting control over the matters that involved Crow when he clearly had a grudge against him.

As Crow spoke up again and advised her to get some rest, Penelope hesitated. She was tired, it had been a long day and the sleep she did manage to get was only a small amount. However, the knight wanted to stay with him longer, both because of everything that happened and because she was worried about the other knights, especially her brother, might do once they learned he was awake. She shifted slightly, reluctant to agree.

"You should go. I'll take over the first watch tonight so Jane won't go running to Layth looking for a guard." Olivia piped up from where she sat. The other female knight flashed a grin and leaned back on the palm of her hands. "I slept most of the day anyways."

"And I can take the morning one." Gavin agreed as he slowly rose up to his feet to leave. "Hopefully if they think you already put together a guard, they won't fight you too much on stopping Layth from changing it to his."

"Alright, thank you." Penelope finally relented with a grateful nod to her friends. She looked back to Crow and gave him a small smile. She leaned down and touched a brief kiss to his lips before pulling back. "I love you and I'll see you sometime tomorrow." The knight gave his hand a soft squeeze before reluctantly letting go and stepping away from him to follow Gavin out of the tent.

Crow sighed softly when he noticed Penelope hesitate to leave his side. He didn’t want her to lose any more sleep than she already had for his sake, especially when he was safely recovering now. His wound still pained him in its freshness, but it wasn’t unbearable, and it was already sutured, so there was no reason for her to concern herself with staying in the tent with him. He would heal fine as long as Jane looked after him, but the knight needed to get her own rest if she was going to get better too.

The thief glanced at Olivia and Gavin as the two knights shared their support that Penelope should get some sleep. He was relieved that everyone seemed to be in agreement, and he appreciated their willingness to guard him, so she wouldn’t worry. Glancing back at Penelope, he returned her smile and leaned up slightly to meet her lips when she kissed him. “I love you too,” he said, shooting her a wry smirk. “Now go and get some sleep, darling.”

Crow followed Penelope and Gavin with his eyes as they left the tent. As soon as they were gone, he yawned tiredly and stretched, wincing as the motion caused his injury to smart in response. Even though he had been unconscious ever since the battle, he could tell he was going to need a lot of rest to recover from a wound this serious. So, settling down on the bed a little more comfortably, he closed his eyes to take his own advice and get some sleep.

However, before he had a chance to drift off, Olivia spoke up from across the room. “I have to say,” she said, studying him with a bemused expression. After Gavin had left, she had moved to take his place in Jane’s chair. “I never expected to hear about a thief saving a knight. That was pretty wild.”

“Yeah, well,” Crow shrugged. “I’m full of surprises.”

Olivia eyed him for a moment longer, seeming to be deep in thought about something, before she spoke again, “You really do care about her, huh?” Her voice was oddly subdued compared to her normal loud attitude.

Crow looked over at her from the bed. “Of course I do,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “And I really don’t see why it’s so hard for you knights to understand that.”

“Well, you were working for the thieves who raided our camp,” Olivia propped her elbow on the nearby desk and rested her chin in her palm, smiling at him amusedly. “It certainly looked like you were just using her. Speaking of which: What was that all about? You helped the guy hide from us, and then you stood in front of his sword. I can’t help but feel like I’m missing some details here.”

“It’s a long story,” Crow exhaled wearily. “I’m too tired to get into it. Maybe I’ll tell you another time or, if you really want to know, you can ask Penelope. I explained it to her earlier.” He shifted again on the bed and closed his eyes. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to get some sleep.”

“Alright,” Olivia sighed, seeming disappointed that he wasn’t willing to tell her about what she’d missed at the moment. “’Night, Crow.”

“Night,” he yawned again as he finally began to drift off to sleep.

Penelope walked quietly besides Gavin as they headed away from the physician's tent and towards their own. Now that she wasn't worrying about Crow, she was more aware of just how exhausted she was from everything. Her body was sore, both from the wounds and the long, breakless walk back to camp, and her eyelids grew heavy as she thought about getting a full night's rest rather than just a short nap. The female knight barely realized that Gavin had slowed his pace until he finally spoke up again.

"I never had a chance once he came back into your life huh?"

At the question, she blinked in surprise and looked over her shoulder at Gavin before slowing down to fall back besides him. At first she thought he was bringing it up to argue against her being with Crow again but the defeat in his voice suggested the exact opposite. It seemed Crow's actions during the battle had affected the other knight's view of the thief in more ways than just one. The male knight didn't met her gaze, instead lowering his to the ground with a crestfallen expression. Penelope frowned and shifted her gaze away, unsure what to say at first. She was surprised he was even bringing such a topic up after everything they had gone through.

"I suppose..." she finally mumbled. "Why are you bringing this up right now?"

Gavin let out a sigh. "I guess, I'm just starting to realize that you really meant it when you said you chose him." He lifted his gaze to met hers and frowned deeply. "I thought your feelings for him would be temporary or that he would show his true colors as a lying criminal. But it's clear to me now that neither of those are likely... You can lie with words but not actions. Him risking his life for you and you risking everything to save his...Even though still I don't think you should leave everything behind, I get it now. You really plan to be with him."

Penelope studied him for a moment, finding herself a bit lost for words at first. She had constantly told Gavin that she wasn't going to change her mind about Crow and him suddenly accepting it caught her off guard. She supposed it would have to happen at some point but she never expected it to be so soon. Part of her had always just assumed the male knight's stubbornness would wear on until the end of the war. Apparently, she was wrong. "I'm sorry, Gavin. I tried to tell you this since the beginning.. I didn't want to lead you on. I might not love you like I love him but you are my friend and I didn't want to hurt you." she told him softly.

"Some pain is unavoidable.." Gavin muttered averting his gaze again. "Though part of it is my own fault for being so stubborn."

"I understand." Penelope felt a small stab of guilt at his words, wishing that she didn't have to hurt Gavin in the process of choosing Crow over him. She let out a sigh and shook her head. "You don't have to worry about any guard shifts... I'll find someone else. I don't want to force you to be around him or me."

"Don't. My shifts are fine." Gavin insisted. He slowed to a stop and shifted his weight awkwardly. "I might put a bit of distance between us for a while, Penelope, but I care about you too much to just cut ties... I'm still going to be your friend and I'm still going to help you, even if it takes me some time to adjust to that."

Penelope gave him a half-hearted smile, warmed by his words. Of course she couldn't expect him to be the same as always after finally accepting that she was with Crow but she was glad to hear that he still wished to be friends. His loyalty was admirable and reminded her of why she had originally settled for Gavin before reuniting with Crow. Perhaps if she had never met Crow, she would have been content marrying the male knight. "Thank you, Gavin.." she reached out and placed a hand on his arm comfortingly. "One day you'll meet someone who will love you better than I ever could. I'm sure of it."

Gavin looked down at her and gave a sad smile. "I suppose.." he shrugged and took a step back from her as her tent camp into view. "Good night, Penelope."

"Good night Gavin." she said before turning and heading off to her tent. Though things would be changing between her and Gavin, she felt like a small weight had been lifted off of her shoulders knowing that he had accepted her being with Crow and was still willing to be her friend at the end of the day. Penelope eagerly laid down for the night and soon fell asleep, finally getting some much needed rest.

Crow wasn’t sure when he woke the next day, since there was no natural light in the tent. All he knew was that he was in pain again. Almost as soon as his eyes opened, he was aware of a deep soreness in his wound that made him cringe and forced him to take slow breaths. Closing his eyes again, he brought a hand to his chest, trying to breathe through the ache until it began to pass. Even though he knew he was healing, it looked like this injury was going to pain him for quite a while.

Secondarily, the thief began to take notice of how cold he was. The inside of the tent was frigid. He shivered involuntarily. With no blanket on the bed and only a pair of pants to cover himself, he’d had no good way to keep warm during the cooling night. He let out his breath in an irritable huff. That would explain why he was aching so badly—he must have tensed up in his sleep as his body had tried to stay warm, which had in turn strained his wound. He guessed that Jane had “overlooked” giving him reasonable accommodations for the weather, since she probably wanted him to take longer to recover.

Ridiculous noblewoman, he thought with a grimace as his injury sent an especially sharp burst of pain through his middle.

“Are you okay?”

Crow blinked at the sound of a voice and turned to see Gavin sitting off to the side. The knight was wearing an expression that was difficult for the thief to read as he watched him. “I can get Jane if something’s wrong,” the ginger man went on, shifting to stand up.

“No,” Crow said through gritted teeth. He took a moment longer to wait for the pain to subside before he went on. “It’s nothing,” he shook his head. “Just stressed the wound a little is all. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Gavin knitted his brow, seeming unconvinced as he hovered on the edge of his seat.

“Yes,” the thief nodded, closing one eye as he winced again. “It’s just the damn cold… I can’t relax.”

The knight studied him for a moment before rising to his feet, “In any case, I need to tell Jane you’re awake, so she can check on your progress.” He stepped towards the opening of the tent and then turned back to him to add: “I’ll request that she brings you a blanket.” With that, he exited the tent, leaving no time for the thief to respond.

Crow stared at the tent opening in mild surprise. He had been expecting Gavin to drop the subject after he’d insisted he didn’t need anything, but instead, it seemed like the knight was intent on making sure he was treated probably for his injury. He laid his head back on the bed to gaze up at the canopy in thought. Even though he’d noticed Gavin had accepted that he wasn’t an enemy, he was still getting used to being treated like a comrade by the stubborn man. After all, the knight had been certain he was just a loathsome snake until this point. His new attitude was going to take some getting used to.

Still, the change wasn’t a bad one. He closed his eyes again as another wave of pain wracked his body, suddenly hoping Gavin could convince Jane to give him better accommodations. It would be nice to spend the coming nights comfortable and warm instead of waking up cold and sore as he had today. He let out his breath in a long sigh, longing for the end of his recovery so he could get out of the knights’ camp for good.

Having been quite tired from the day prior, Penelope unintentionally slept later than she usually did. She likely would have slept even later if she could have but sadly the knight was rudely awaken as someone paced furiously outside her tent. "Penelope!" The female knight jumped at her brother's voice and let out a small groan, already guessing what must have brought him to her tent. It seemed she wouldn't get the luxury of waiting until their meeting to insist that she be the one to oversee the guards for Crow.

"One second!" She called back and slowly rose to her feet. Feeling no rush to face off with Layth, she took her time in getting ready before reluctantly stepping out of her tent. As she did, her gaze fell on a furious looking Layth, who ceased his impatient pacing as he noticed her come out. He curled his lip and Penelope let out a quiet sigh. Here it comes..

"Jane tells me that the thief is already awake and you've already taken the liberty of assigning his guards." he growled accusatively. "You have no right to do so. You haven't even reported this development to the barons yet!"

"I found out late last night. I figured there was no need to bother the barons over something that could wait until the morning. He might be awake but he can't move." Penelope responded with a shrug. She crossed her arms over her chest and met her brother's gaze challengingly. "I have plenty right to do so. Jane needed a guard on him and I'm the one who brought him here in the first place."

"You lost that right the moment you started working with a thief, traitor." Layth snarled. "I saw who you put on guard. Only others who'd be willing to work with a thieving bastard like you."

"I am not a traitor and you are not a higher rank than me so you have no authority to decide that." Penelope argued with a bitter edge to her voice. "I assigned the knights I trust, just like you would. I suppose you think Tomas is untrustworthy? Or perhaps Nina? I was planning on asking them to take up guard shifts with him but perhaps I shouldn't if you believe them to be unqualified for the job." She met his gaze challengingly and watched as her brother clenched his jaw in frustration. It would be difficult for him to argue against the choice of a well respected lieutenant and a knight who had close relations with two barons. Penelope bit back a smirk as she seemed to have successfully backed him into a corner.

"The barons will see that you are unfit to be further involved in any such decisions." Layth growled with a flustered look before he turned and stormed off towards the meeting tent. She let out a soft sigh and trailed behind her brother. Now would come the hard part, which was convincing the barons to let her oversee the matters involving Crow.

As time went on and Gavin didn’t return to the tent, Crow eventually fell asleep again, finding it more pleasant to be unconscious than it was to battle against the pain in his body. As always, he was unable to tell how much time passed before he was awakened by the sound of approaching footsteps. Blearily, he blinked his eyes open and glanced at the entrance of the tent, where two figures were making their way inside. He was quick to recognize Gavin and Jane, the latter of whom had an irritable look on her face as she walked over to his bed with a neatly folded blanket in her arms.

“Here,” the physician muttered with obvious resentment as she unraveled the thick fabric and draped it over the thief.

Right away, Crow could feel himself beginning to heat up, and he sighed in relief. Hopefully with something to keep himself warm, the cold wouldn’t do nearly as much damage, and he would be able to heal more quickly. He glanced at Gavin, wondering how the knight had managed to convince his comrade to help him. He had never taken the man to be very persuasive, but perhaps there was more to him than met the eye.

“Gavin, help me with the thief,” Jane grumbled as she began to set up her supplies to redress his wound. “I need him sitting up, so I can unwrap the bandages.”

The knight just nodded wordlessly in response and stepped up to the edge of the bed to help Crow get up from where he was laying. Once he was in an upright position, the thief leaned back on his hands like he had the night before while the physician got to work on treating his injury. He winced slightly at her rough touch, but made no verbal complaints, since she was barely willing to work on him as things were. Even though she wasn’t as gentle as Hazel, any treatment was better than none at all.

As the old bandages were removed, Crow snuck a peek at his wound, curious to see how bad it was since he hadn’t had much of a chance to look it over the last time Jane had redressed it. The sight of the stitching made him feel sick, and he swallowed nervously, finding his old aversion resurfacing a bit. He could see now why it was hurting so much. Even his old stab wounds hadn’t looked this gruesome. Thinking back on the battle, he remembered that Jaxon had twisted his sword before pulling it out. The motion must have torn into him quite a bit more than a normal stab wound would have.

He bent slightly at the waist, leaning to the left and right as he tried to feel the path the blade had taken on the inside of his body. As he did, he noticed a slight twinge in his back, and he frowned, bringing his free hand around to touch the spot the hurt. Before he reached it, Jane slapped his hand away.

“Stop that,” she chided sternly as she unraveled a new set of bandages for him. “If you play with the suturing, it won’t heal properly.”

Suturing? Crow thought bemusedly. It seemed that he’d needed to be stitched on both the entrance and exit wounds from the sword. The thought of being run completely through to such a degree made him shudder. He was glad he was still alive after enduring something like that.

After she finished redressing his injury, Jane put her supplies away and stepped back. “He’s healing fine,” she said curtly to Gavin. Her dark eyes flickered to the thief before she added: “Do you think you could guard him a little while longer? I have other knights that I need to tend to right now.”

Crow wanted to roll his eyes at the way she emphasized the word ‘knights.’

“Of course,” Gavin dipped his head politely. “I’ll stay as long as I’m needed.”

“Thank you,” Jane seemed to relax at his willingness to help. With no more reason to keep her near her criminal patient, she headed for the flap of the tent. “I’ll be back later. Make sure he doesn’t cause any trouble while I’m gone.”

"So he's awake?"

Penelope nodded her head to Mia as the baroness eyed her with an intrigued look. Layth had stormed into the meeting rather abruptly and wasted no time in delivering the news that Crow was awake now and that she had already taken the liberty of assigning guards. Mia didn't seem overly upset and Bennett had made it clear that he didn't care so long as the thief had a guard on him at all times. Her main opposition seemed to be Edward and Layth as usual

"You shouldn't be overseeing such matters! Especially after turning traitor and working with him in the first place." Edward growled as he glared at Penelope.

"I only did so to save this battalion and you know that." Penelope stated, shaking her head. "I only took charge of dealing with matters related to the thief because I was the one who brought him here. I figured the responsibility would fall on my shoulders." She glanced towards Mia for support, hoping her baroness would side with her, but was disappointed as she seemed rather intent on just observing as the meeting went on. Luckily, someone else came to her aid.

"That's reasonable." Tomas agreed with a small nod. He glanced between the baron and his lieutenant before giving a small smile. "Our supplies have increased because of Penelope's efforts and the threat of being raided again has been dealt with... As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I seen no reason to question her judgment when it was clearly in our best interests."

"Perhaps if she didn't drag that bastard back to our camp I could agree with that sentiment." Edward stated coldly. His gaze shifted over to Mia and he narrowed his gaze on her. "You've been quieter than usual. Feeling embarrassed by your lieutenant?"

"Not particularly." Mia replied as she held his gaze calmly. She crossed her arms and glanced over at Penelope with a thoughtful gaze. "I'm just thinking... Anyways, Penelope has picked decent guards for the most part. Is it really so important to change to whoever Layth has chosen?" She shrugged and looked to Edward questioningly. "Surely if he has any issue with the thief, he can deal with it through a visit on his own. Or are you incapable of that, Layth?"

Edward glared at Mia but was reluctant to speak out against her words as his gaze shifted between Tomas and Bennett. Like Layth, it appeared the inclusion of Tomas and Nina had caused for him to be in a tight spot. Claiming her guards were unfit would be insulting to the majority of those in the room.

----

The meeting had ended and Penelope had scored a small victory as Edward relented to her guard choices after a bit of pressure from the others in the room. She felt a spark of satisfaction. Though their trust in her dwindled, she had managed to play her cards just right enough to make it difficult for them to refuse her choices. The only downside was that Mia had opened the door to allowing Layth, and possibly others, to visit Crow without needing reason, which was likely the only reason he accepted the terms. If he requested alone time with the thief to interrogate him or otherwise, it would be difficult for her or any other guard to refuse his request.

She sighed and headed towards the physician's tent as she planned to relieve Gavin of his guard duty. The female knight hesitated at the front of the tent as she recalled her conversation with him from the night before. Suddenly, she felt a bit unsure how to speak to him and as she stepped inside, she froze for a brief moment as his gaze fell on her. There was a bit of awkward silence before Gavin rose from his chair and dipped his head to her.

"Taking over?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah.. Thanks again." Penelope mumbled gratefully.

"Of course." Gavin shifted his gaze away and then headed out of the tent, leaving her alone with Crow.

Pushing past the brief awkwardness that came with facing her ex-suitor, she shifted her gaze over to Crow and walked over to his side giving a small smile. "Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked.