“Just making sure,” Crow laughed when he felt Penelope nudge him. All joking aside, he was just happy that they could even talk about a wedding like this. It had taken years, but after everything, things finally felt like they were falling into place. His gaze softened as he looked at her, the knight who had captured his heart so long ago and the woman who would soon be his wife. He’d never felt so strongly about anyone else before, and he couldn’t wait to find out just how much more his affection for her could grow in the years to come.

Across the table, Naida smiled broadly at them both. “I knew you were perfect for each other. You can’t hide chemistry like this.”

“We did our best, alright?” Crow rolled his eyes at her.

He and the princess bantered a little while longer as they ate, until Penelope announced that she needed to leave. The viceroy turned to her with a frown. He’d been hoping that they could spend more time together now that they were officially courting, but he knew he couldn’t ask her to stay. They didn’t have long to get ready to leave the castle, and he was going to be spending most of the following day with Albin in preparation for the trip as well. He should have expected that she would be busy too.

“I will,” he smiled when she kissed his cheek. “Have a good night, love.”

Slowed by his conversation with Naida, he had a few more bites of food to eat before he got up from the table as well, bidding his sister goodbye. Albin wanted him to leave bright and early on the day of the trip, so they would be spending most of tomorrow revising plans and inventory to make sure that the journey would go smoothly. He didn’t have to wake up sooner than he did on any other day, but he wanted to be well rested so that he could pay full attention to everything that was going on. With that thought in mind, he retired to his bedchamber to do his routine exercise and go to sleep.

--

The following day went by so quickly that it felt like a blur to Crow. He spent breakfast with Wayne, Robyn, and Percival, using the time to tell the knight that he would be accompanying him as one of four guards because of the last minute switch. After that, he tracked down Naida at a guard post on the second floor, having realized that he had completely forgotten to tell her that she would be coming on the trip too. Naturally, his sister was thrilled by the news and nearly abandoned her post to start preparing right away. It took some convincing on his part to get her to stay put until her shift ended.

From there, he made his way to his father’s quarters to review the plans for the negotiation. Albin quizzed him twice to make sure he didn’t forget any of the details, and once he seemed satisfied that his ambassador was prepared, they went down to the stables to brush up on horseback riding. The king had heard from John that Crow had excelled at commanding Baine once he’d gotten over his initial hesitation about riding, but he had yet to see proof of the former thief’s improvement for himself. So, they rode together from the castle to the woods that bordered the edge of the citadel.

During the ride, they conversed casually. Albin asked Crow about how he had been settling in at the palace, if the other noblemen and women had been treating him fairly—with underlying threats that he would get involved if they still showed prejudice because of his criminal past—and how prepared he felt to speak with the Younisian king. The viceroy noticed that his father seemed to be avoiding the subject of his new courtship, but he didn’t think too much of it. Penelope had been the spearhead in the campaign against the monarch’s plan to ally with Gorm, so Albin was probably still bitter about that.

When they got back to the castle, Albin took Crow with him to see the supplies he would be taking to the northern kingdom. Since all six members of the group would be on horseback, they didn’t have a wagon this time. Instead, all the tools and the food stock had been packed into saddlebags to make the ride faster. The viceroy sifted through each one, familiarizing himself with the locations of objects he would use most often on the trip, until he felt confident that he knew where most of the items he deemed important had been stowed away.

At the end of the long day, he parted ways with his father and headed to the Great Hall, eager to fill his stomach after all the activity. He was also looking forward to seeing Penelope again. Just the thought of her brought a smile to his lips as he stepped into the dining chamber and scanned the crowd. However, it seemed like he was the first one to arrive, so he picked the first empty table he saw and sat down to wait for her to join him, making small talk with Preston when the attendant brought him his food.