Crow made his way back to the clearing where he had left his bag, still seething over his encounter with Penelope’s father. Every bit of it just made him angrier the more he thought about it. He was upset that the knight had followed them; he was mad that he had forced them to separate; and he was furious at the accusations he had made. The thief clenched his jaw as John’s words replayed in his head. Even if the older man just thought of him as a lowly criminal, he wouldn’t have cared that much, but for him to compare him to [i]the king[/i] of all people made his blood boil.

When he reached the spot beneath the tree where he had left his supplies, Crow found and shouldered his bag, wincing as the motion sent a twinge of pain through the wound in his torso. Though he had packed light, the strain of the walk along with the weight of what he was carrying was starting to get to him. Still, he refused to let the ache slow him down. He couldn’t stand the thought of facing John again while the knight’s words were so fresh in his mind. He wanted some time to himself to cool down before he even attempted to get close to the older man again.

So, as the group continued to make their way towards Wellspring, Crow continued to walk as far ahead of the others as he could get. He wished he could have Penelope by his side—he craved to hold her until his raging emotions wound down—but after Jon had threatened to kill him, he couldn’t get close to her. Normally, he might have tested the waters a little and tried to get near to her anyway, but her father had already swung a sword at him once. It was quite clear that he wasn’t afraid to follow through with his word, even if it meant ruining the mission the king had sent him on. As long as the knight was determined to stand between them, there was no point in even trying.

Because of the accelerated pace that the thief had set due to his impatience, they managed to reach the village by the end of the day. When they arrived, John led them to the local inn, where he intended for them to stay for the night. In his persistence to keep Crow as far from Penelope as he could, he forced the thief to wait outside while the two knights paid for a room. It was a bit degrading, but as long as it meant he wouldn’t have to be anywhere near John, he didn’t complain. 

Once the room had been bought, John came back outside to retrieve him, and the three made their way to settle down for the night. But, of course, even that couldn’t be easy for them. Almost as soon as the door had closed behind them, Penelope’s father turned on Crow with a stern look, “You, take that bed.” He gestured to one on the right side of the room.

Crow just rolled his eyes in response, but, not wanting to start another fight, complied with the demand. He stepped over to the bed and dropped his bag on the floor, rolling his shoulders with relief as the weight was shed off. However, he barely had time to relax when he suddenly felt someone take him by the wrist. He flinched and turned just in time to see John fasten another chain cuff to his hand and attach the other end to the bed post.

“What the hell is this?” he snarled, wrinkling his nose at the restraint.

“This is to make sure you keep your filthy hands off my daughter,” the knight glared at him untrustingly. Having secured the thief, he turned to Penelope next. “And now you. Take the bed on the other side of the room.”