Though the situation looked bleak, Crow managed to find some solace in Penelope’s presence. He held onto her tightly, trying to focus on the feeling of her arm that was wrapped comfortingly around him, the touch of her hand as she stroked his head, the smell of her hair that his face was buried against… anything to distract himself from his fear of what was to come. He supposed that there was one good thing to come out of this, at least: Even if the barons decided to choose their original plan, he would still have her. Death would have parted them, but now, he could be certain that no matter what his fate may hold, they would still be together. The thought brought him some level of peace, and he nestled a little closer to her neck.

As Penelope suddenly spoke up again in a weak voice, the thief frowned. He didn’t agree at all that this was her fault. She had just been trying to stop Layth from interrogating him so brutally, even he could tell that much. There was no way anyone could have known the barons would have reacted like this. He didn’t want her to blame herself for something that had been completely out of her control, and he was just about to say so when she pulled away to meet his gaze.

As she did, Crow froze, catching a glimmer of tears in her eyes. The sight made him feel a pang of sadness, and instead of speaking right away, he gently pulled her down to press a tender kiss to her lips, trailing his hand up to the back of her neck. He lingered for a long moment before he leaned away again. “It’s not your fault,” he said softly, brushing his thumb along the corner of her eye to wipe away the tears. “You couldn’t have known this would happen. Besides, even if you hadn’t said anything, Layth could have found a way to turn the situation in his favor somehow. Perhaps he would have even convinced your barons to kill me if you had let him go ignored.”

He gingerly caressed her cheek and offered her a halfhearted smile, “Please, don’t blame yourself for this, love. Just do what you can and know that I’ll be rooting for you from a distance.” He touched one more quick kiss to her lips and pressed his cheek against hers as he drew her into another embrace. “I’m sure we’ll get out of this mess one way or another… we always do.”