“I guess so,” Crow shrugged when Penelope said that Eldon had been efficient. The physician’s skill at his job didn’t change the fact that he seemed more interested in protecting the other people in the castle than he did in healing a lowly peasant from the ‘filthy’ outer villages. The thief felt another twinge of annoyance as he recalled the prejudiced words the old man had used to describe the home he loved so much. It wasn’t their fault that there was so much sickness in the villages. If anything the problem was the king’s fault. Historically, none of Brerra’s rulers had ever done anything to aid the peasants in their suffering, and that had yet to change in his lifetime.

[i]But maybe it could change now,[/i] he thought hopefully. Perhaps his father would be more willing than the previous kings to provide the outer villages with the help they had been craving for so long. After their talk the day before, Albin certainly seemed like a man who would listen to reason. However, he knew he couldn’t be sure about that, especially after the warning Penelope’s father had given him. If Albin was simply trying to manipulate him, then he wasn’t at all the kind of man he seemed to be.

[i]But what about his offer to me?[/i] Crow thought with a frown. As hard as he wracked his brain, he couldn’t think of any good reason why Albin would want to choose him to be his viceroy over the nobles in the castle. Even if he supposedly had the talent for it—which he was still doubtful of after he had attempted to learn how to write with Penelope the night before—he was still a wanted criminal. Surely his reputation would do nothing but harm his father’s credibility. Why would he risk that, if his main goal wasn’t to reconnect with his son?

He let out a frustrated sigh, glancing up when John suddenly interrupted his muddled thoughts. As the knight told them that he had other matters to attend to, the thief nodded faintly and closed his eyes, leaning a little further into Penelope’s side. He heard the older man tell his daughter that she would do fine when she spoke to the king later followed by the sound of fading footsteps as John made his way to the door and exited the room, leaving them alone once more.

Crow opened his eyes again as Penelope spoke up in a quiet voice. He turned to look at her, resting his hand on her thigh as she added that she didn’t want to fail again. “Hey,” he said softly, bringing his hand up to brush aside a strand of her brunette hair. “It’ll be fine. I’m sure that if anyone can get my father to stop this war, it’s you.” He smiled at her confidently before leaning in to press a long and tender kiss to her lips.

“I have an idea,” he said when he pulled back again, shifting away from her to stand up from the table and offering her a hand. “Let’s take a walk. There’s still some time before you need to meet with him, and moving around will be better for you than just sitting here and thinking about it.”