Crow rolled his eyes at Penelope’s joking words. Despite what she claimed, the smile on her face when she had first opened her eyes had given away how happy she really was to see him. He shifted a little on the edge of the mattress as she moved to sit up, cringing slightly at the creak her bed made in response to the sudden motion. His eyes flickered to her father’s bed, worried that the older knight had been disturbed by the sound. Fortunately, all remained quiet, and he let out his breath in a sigh of relief.

Turning back to Penelope, he smiled as she wrapped her arms around him and leaned in to meet her lips as she kissed him. After being forced to separate from her all day, he found her lips sweet and her touch relaxing. If John hadn’t been laying a mere two arms-length away from them, he would have easily lost himself in her embrace, but of course, he knew he had to stay alert, so he didn’t let go that completely. Instead, he simply enjoyed what he could get, renewing his patience at the thought of finding some time alone with her when they got to the castle. After all, it would be much harder for her father to get between them when they had a whole palace to sneak around behind his back.

When she eventually pulled back again, Crow laughed softly. “I knew it,” he teased, holding her close and smiling as she kissed him on the nose. As her eyes wandered to her father’s sleeping form, his smile faded, and he followed her gaze. “That’s an understatement,” he exhaled, leaning his head against hers. With John constantly breathing down their necks, he had a feeling these late-night meetings were the best they were going to get until they reached the inner kingdom.

[i]Things might get even worse after we arrive,[/i] he thought worriedly, holding her a little more tightly against himself. With John’s threat of finding her a new husband, they were probably going to have even more obstacles to face in the coming days. If they couldn’t find a way out of it, he was going to lose her, and she was going to be wedded to a man who would likely care very little about her.

Feeling a bust of protectiveness for the knight, Crow pressed another kiss to her lips. He lingered for a moment before pulling back again and lowering his gaze. “I-I think that if we can’t stop your father from arranging another marriage for you, we should run away together,” he murmured, shifting nervously as he brought up the suggestion. “I know you don’t want to leave until this war is over, but I don’t want to risk losing you to someone else.” He looked up again to meet her green eyes with a troubled look. “If… If we can’t think of any other way out of this mess… will you come with me to the outer villages?”