When Crow reached the top of the stairs, he pushed open the door above his head and was pleased to see that Penelope had arrived first. He would have been too excited to sit still if he’d had to wait for her on the tower, and he didn’t know how much longer he could go without telling her how his conversation had gone with Albin. It almost felt like a dream. After over two years of hamstrung attempts to be together, first in the outer villages and then in the inner kingdom, they had finally checked all the boxes they needed to take a step toward getting married. He couldn’t wait to move forward from all the people who had both intentionally and inadvertently tried to keep them apart.

Climbing up the last few steps, he dropped the hatch behind him and stepped over to the knight. As eager as he was to share the news, he couldn’t help but notice how stunning she looked in the low light of the sunset. Her skin had a warm glow, and the shadows casted across her face contoured her already beautiful features. He marveled that this woman wanted to be with just as much as he wanted to be with her. It was amazing that he’d gotten so lucky.

“He said yes,” he breathed, winded from the long flight of stairs and the excitement that had built up inside of him. A grin took over his lips, and he swept Penelope into his arms in an affectionate embrace, unable to contain his delight any longer. “He didn’t even protest; he just said yes! We don’t have to hide anymore.”

Without waiting for a response, he pressed a kiss to the knight’s lips, holding her tightly. No longer would they have to pretend like they weren’t interested in each other or sit back and bite their tongues when someone else tried to woo the other. They wouldn’t even have to look over their shoulders just to steal a peck on the cheek. At long last, they could announce to everyone that they were in love with each other, and he couldn’t have been happier.