Since Crow and his companions only had one more day left together, the other thieves chose to spend it in his company rather than going about their usual routines. After Penelope left, they were rejoined by Hazel, and everyone headed outside to relax in the warm sunlight. Crow spent most of the morning catching the others up on the last month of his life: telling them about what had happened at the knights’ camp, describing their trip to the inner kingdom—though he left out the night at the Gods’ Mirror pond—and even recounting everything that had happened at the castle, from his meeting with his father to his discovery that he had three siblings.

He was much less guarded about the information than he usually was. After being secretive about his life for the last two years, it felt good to finally start letting them get a little closer to him. Plus, he felt like he owed it to them after all the trouble he’d caused them Jaxon had been around. It was because of his lying that they had suffered as much as they had. They deserved to learn the truth about him before he left for the inner kingdom for good and became the king’s viceroy.

When he finally finished speaking, Alistair leaned back on his hands and whistled. “Who would’ve thought that all this time, we’ve been living with the king’s son?” He shook his head. “And here I thought you were just some village idiot.”

“I was barely his son,” Crow rolled his eyes at his friend’s comment. “I’d never even met the man before this past week.”

“Still, it’s pretty crazy,” Rikki mused, drawing her knees to her chest as she gazed out over the river. “You’re the firstborn heir of the most powerful man in the kingdom… I don’t even know what to think about that.”

“Trust me, I may be related to him, but there isn’t a noble bone in my body,” Crow assured her, picking up a nearby rock and tossing it into the water. “I’ve always been his son, but I’m still the same man as before. Nothing has changed except for my title.”

“Yeah,” Alistair shot him a playful grin. “You went from a pain in the ass to a royal one.”

“Shut up,” Crow shoved him roughly, although he couldn’t help the smile that tugged at his lip.

“I think it’s great,” Hartley spoke up. He was laying nearby in the grass with his head propped up on his arms. “You just got a free ride to nobility, and you didn’t even have to do anything to get it. Plus, you’re the king’s son, so that has to carry some influence, right?”

Crow exchanged an uneasy glance with the other thieves. “Not exactly,” he answered slowly. “It probably will around other nobles, but the king of Brerra doesn’t exactly have the same reputation as the king of Younis among peasants.”

“What do you mean?” Hartley frowned.

“Well, do you remember what Penelope and I told you about the last king?”

“Yeah,” Hartley thought it over. “You said he taxed the kingdom a lot, right?”

“Yes,” Crow nodded. “And my father hasn’t done anything different. The peasants here hate the king, so if anything, I’ll probably be liked even less once word gets out that I’m his son.” He shrugged. “Not that it makes much of a difference. People weren’t that fond of me when I was the most hated thief in the kingdom either.”

“Damn,” Hartley exhaled. “Looks like there’s just no escaping for you, is there?”

“Nope,” Crow tossed another stone into the river. “But that’s alright. I wasn’t trying to win anyone’s favor by doing this. It was just for Penelope.”

“Well you’d better start trying,” Hazel snorted. “I want my son to grow up in a better kingdom than this one.”

“Son?” Crow eyed her curiously. “You already know the gender?”

“No,” she shrugged, resting a hand on her stomach. “I’ve just got a feeling, and my feelings are usually right.”

“If you think it’s a boy, does that mean you’ve already got a name picked out?” Rikki asked, leaning forward eagerly.

“Yes,” Hazel’s expression softened. “I’m going to name him Simon, after his father.”

The group fell quiet for a moment before Rikki broke the silence. “I think that’s great,” she chirped.

“It’s a fitting name,” Alistair agreed with a grin.

Crow and Hartley offered their approval as well. The older thief laid back in the grass and let out his breath contentedly. It was moments like these that he was going to miss once he left for the castle. He was glad that his father had allowed him to visit one more time before he began his training as the next viceroy. He snuck a glance at the others as they continued to talk about Hazel’s growing child, capturing the moment in his mind so he wouldn’t forget it. After all, there was no telling if or when he would see them again, so he wanted to hold onto the memories they were building now.

[i]I’m going to miss them,[/i] he thought with a melancholic smile before he rejoined their conversation once more.