Wanting to be seen with anyone but Elizabeth after what had happened the night before, Crow joined Wayne and Percival for breakfast at the Great Hall. The two noblemen eagerly welcomed him, which he appreciated since he wasn’t in the mood to deal with being looked down upon by anyone that morning. Knowing it wouldn’t be long before the rest of the nobles in the castle started whispering about him and Liz, he wanted to enjoy the dwindling peace while it lasted.

“So, I heard a rumor that the king is planning to form an alliance with Gorm soon,” Wayne said after a short silence, toying with the food on his plate. His eyes flicked indiscreetly toward the viceroy. “You were at the court meeting, right? Is it true that he’s going to negotiate with the Gorman king?”

“I’ve been curious about that too,” Percival nodded, turning to Crow with a hopeful look. “It would be good news for the knights on the warfront if he is.”

Crow shifted slightly in his seat. It seemed that word had already spread of his father’s intentions, and the two noblemen with him now were already on board with his idea. If there were more like them in the castle, it could be hard to change the king’s mind. “It is,” he admitted slowly, lifting his glass to his lips to stall for a moment. “But personally, I’m not sure if it’s the best course of action.”

“What do you mean?” Percival knitted his brows. “If we side with Gorm, Younis won’t be able to overpower us. This could be the push we’ve been looking for to finally defeat them.”

“Maybe,” Crow shrugged. “How many knights will lose their lives if the king plans such a large battle though? I think it would be better if he seeks peaceful terms with Younis.”

“And our kingdom would come off looking cowardly,” Wayne shook his head. “We’ve never ended a war without conquering our enemies in all of Brerra’s history.”

“It’s not too late to start,” Crow mumbled, popping a bite of food into his mouth.

Percival frowned, looking between the two before his gaze rested on the viceroy. “With all due respect, I think Wayne is right,” he said tentatively. “In an ideal world, negotiating with Younis would be the best way to end the feuding between our two kingdoms, but that’s never worked for us in the past. I don’t know if there’s anything we can agree upon that would be enough to fix the tension that’s existed between us for so many generations.”

Crow eyed the knight for a moment and then looked away again. “I suppose,” he muttered. It was so difficult to convince anyone in the castle to believe that ending the war peacefully was the best decision they could make, and the worst part was that he nearly found himself siding with them too. The only reason why he didn’t agree with his father’s plan was because of what Penelope had told him about her meeting with the god. If she hadn’t said that Toreus himself was vying for negotiations with Younis, he would have avidly supported the king’s intention to ally with Gorm.

[i]But just because I can’t convince anyone doesn’t mean she won’t be able to,[/i] he thought, suddenly remembering the guest list she had wanted him to make while she was gone. After everything that had happened between him and Elizabeth, he’d completely forgotten about it. However, there was still time for him to invite a few people.

“By the way,” he looked up at the other men abruptly, as if the idea had just come to him. “The Lenz’s are going to be throwing a party soon. I was invited to come, but I’m not sure if anyone else will be there that I know.” He casted them a grin. “Would you two be interested in coming with me?”

“A party?” Wayne brightened visibly, though there was still a calculating look in his eyes. “Have you heard the names of anyone else who’ll be coming?”

“Not many,” Crow mused thoughtfully, suppressing a smirk. “But I know some members of the royal family will be there, so I think they’re inviting quite a few high ranking people.” He met Wayne’s gaze with a mock frown. “That doesn’t bother you, does it?”

“Me? Of course not,” Wayne shook his head vigorously. “I’d be honored to attend the party with you, Collin. What about you, Percy?” He nudged the knight beside him.

“I suppose I can go too,” the other man answered in a more mild-mannered fashion. “As long as I don’t get assigned to guard the castle on the day of the party, that is.”

“Great,” Crow beamed at them. “I’ll let you both know more about the details when I hear news of them. In the meantime,” he stood up from the table. “I’d better get going. It’s almost time for my next lesson.”

“Alright,” Wayne nodded. “See you later, Collin.”

Percival waved wordlessly as he continued to eat his breakfast.

Crow returned the gesture and turned around to head out of the Great Hall, smiling to himself as he secured his first invitations to Penelope’s party. Perhaps if his lesson went well that afternoon, the day wouldn’t be quite as terrible as he expected.