When the group left the inn, Crow was quick to notice that this final leg of the journey was going to be quite different than the last two. For one, the streets they walked through were much more crowded with wealthy nobles and their servants. Random passerbys gawked and whispered amongst themselves when they caught sight of the infamous thief walking openly through their cities. The attention made him uncomfortable, since he had been hoping to keep a low profile when he was in the land of his enemies. It was already going to be stressful enough talking to his father for the first time. He didn’t need the added weight of watching his back in case an angry knight or noble chose to come after him. Still, he forced himself to bury his discomfort and carried himself with his head held high, though he remained tense and eyed the side streets in a wary manner, since it would have been foolish of him to drop his guard completely.

Throughout all this, Crow was glad for Penelope’s calming presence at his side. The further they traveled into the center of the kingdom, the more convinced he felt that he wouldn’t have been able to keep his nerves together long enough to face the king if he had been on his own. Her warmth and idle chatter helped to distract him from his nervousness about the meeting and the discomfort of the nobles’ prying eyes. He was glad that she had been able to get away from her camp to come with him on the trip, otherwise he probably would have bolted by now and escaped back to the outer villages.

When the group eventually left the main road to stop in the surrounding forest for lunch, Crow relaxed a little. It was nice to get away from the commotion of the cities for a bit, and though he was still anxious about confronting his father, he was relieved that they could hide from the curious nobles for a while. So, when they settled down in the small clearing, Crow opted to lay in the grass, trying to unwind while he had the chance. His stomach was too twisted up for him to handle eating anything at the moment, so this was the next best thing. Plus, from this angle, he couldn’t see the castle that had been at the forefront of his vision during their walk today, which was a welcomed change for the nervous thief.

After a bit, he heard someone approaching and turned his head to see that Penelope had come to sit beside him. He sat up as well, shifting a little closer to her and taking her hand when she reached for his. It was nice to be able to touch her again, since they’d been forced to keep their distance in the cities while so many other eyes had been on them. Now, with John being the only other person around, they didn’t have to worry about hiding their relationship as much.

At her question, Crow shrugged. “Well, I haven’t run yet, so that’s a good sign,” he answered with a half-smile. His eyes wandered back to the looming castle, and he took a slow breath. “I’m just glad you’re here with me,” he went on in a low voice. “I had no idea it was going to be this hard just to work up the nerve to speak to him.” Shaking his head, he toyed anxiously with the grass with his free hand. “I honestly don’t understand why I’m so worried. He’s the one who left me and my mother, so why am I the one who’s afraid to face him? If anything, it should be the other way around.” He leaned a little more into Penelope’s side, taking comfort in her presence. “It shouldn’t be this hard, right?”