Crow adjusted the bag on his shoulders and gave a curt nod of farewell to Gavin and Olivia as he got ready to head out from the knights’ camp. With all parting words having been said, he turned and trailed closely at Penelope’s heels when she led the way back to the road that would carry them to the inner kingdom. He refrained from falling in step beside her until after they passed out of sight from the camp, since he still didn’t want to give away their closeness to any of her comrades who might see them. However, as soon as the tents disappeared in the trees, he was quick to hasten his pace and walk at her side. Her presence always comforted him, and right now he needed a little bit of that.

It had taken until the final walk back to the castle, but he was finally starting to feel the weight of leaving his home behind for good. His eyes swept over his surroundings with a hint of melancholy. Though he knew he could always come back to visit once he was done with his training, he knew it wasn’t going to be the same. He was going to be moving on to a different world, and the people of the outer villages would carry on without him. He wondered what it was going to be like when he did stop by in the future. Would the villagers be happy to see him? Would they view him as just another heartless noble? Would they even recognize him? His heart sank slightly as he imagined being greeted by blank stares and leery questions when he finally returned.

He also worried that even though he and his companions had sworn up and down that they would keep in touch, that they would eventually drift apart as their lives changed. Perhaps they would be able to keep up with each other for a time, but he couldn’t imagine they would be able to go out of their way to see each other forever. If they came to the inner kingdom, they would have to risk getting caught by the skilled knights in the area; and if he went to the outer villages, he would risk being spotted by a local guard and tarnishing his reputation. Such things had never mattered to him before, and they certainly didn’t now, but what about later on? If he was arrested or stripped of his title after he and Penelope were married, he would drag her right down with him. He cringed as he thought about what might happen if he was caught after they had a family of their own. For her sake, he needed to tread carefully.

Caught up in his disheartened thoughts, Crow didn’t realize just how quiet he had been on the walk back to Wellspring. The sound of Penelope’s voice jolted him slightly when she suddenly broke the silence that had fallen between them, and he turned to her with a dazed look. He didn’t answer her right away, as he was torn between his desire to linger in the outer villages for as long as he could and his eagerness to get the trip over with as quickly as possible.

However, after some time passed, he came to a conclusion. Though he wanted to get back to the castle, there was no reason for him to rush through his mourning. “I’d like that,” he sighed, offering her an appreciative smile. “It’ll be good to visit one more time, since I have no idea how long it will be before I can come back.” He reached out to catch her hand and gave it a brief squeeze. “Thanks, love.”