Crow sat down at one of the many empty tables in the Great Hall and rubbed his eyes tiredly as Preston went to the kitchen to retrieve their food. Since Penelope wasn’t there and the attendant would be coming with him to Younis, he had decided to spend breakfast with the boy, so they would both be able to depart from the castle with full stomachs. He crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward to stretch his back, losing momentum as the shock of Preston’s water trick began to wear off. If he had time, he would have dragged his feet back up to his bedchamber to get another hour of sleep. Unfortunately though, his father had made it quite clear that he expected him to be on the road as soon as possible—and he still needed to get to the courtyard before Penelope.

“Good morning.”

The viceroy blinked at the sound of a voice and turned at the waist to see that Percival had arrived. The knight stepped over to his table and nodded in greeting. “Are you expecting someone, or may I join you?”

“Just my attendant,” Crow waved a hand at the empty bench across from him. “Sit down.”

Percival complied, sliding onto the wooden seat. It seemed like he had been dressed up for the occasion too. His armor looked more decorative than what Crow had seen on the warfront, with gold trimming and a deep red cloak attached at his shoulder. He guessed his father was hoping to leave an impression on the Younisian king by making his team of representatives appear as impressive as he could. Uninformed in the ways of politics, he wasn’t sure if the move was cocky or brilliant.

“How are you feeling?” Percival broke the silence between them.

Crow flinched, realizing belatedly that he had gotten distracted staring at the knight’s reflective armor. He might not have been a thief anymore, but old habits died hard, and he couldn’t help wondering if the aureate trim was made of real gold. “Alright, I think,” he shrugged. “I’m as prepared as I can be in the short time this all came together.”

Percy grunted. “I’m sure the parley will go well.”

“I hope you’re right,” Crow sighed, looking away from him as Preston returned with two plates of food. The attendant slowed his pace at the sight of the knight, seeming deterred, but the viceroy gestured for him to join them. As soon as he did, Crow turned back to the other nobleman, “What about you? Have you even been out of the kingdom before?”

“This is the first time,” Percival shook his head. “But I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this for years. In fact, I don’t believe I’ve thanked you for including me yet.” He bowed his head gratefully.

“It was an easy choice,” Crow assured him, slightly embarrassed by the knight’s words. He didn’t think he’d done anything particularly special by including Percival. There had just been no other knights that he would have wanted by his side, since he didn’t trust most of them to protect him in a fight. At the thought, an amused smile crossed his lips, “You know, this is the first time I’ll be traveling with guards who won’t treat me like a prisoner.”

“You’re not a criminal anymore.”

“Alright, wise guy,” the viceroy rolled his eyes. “I was just trying to draw comparisons.” Turning to his plate, he broke his bread to take a bite and then paused with an irritable groan. “Gods, I keep seeing the stupid feather in the corner of my eye and thinking it’s going to fall into my food.” He narrowed his eyes at Preston. “Why do noblemen wear these things anyway? They’re impractical.”

The attendant shrugged, “It’s tradition.”

“Tradition to look like a court jester?” Crow said dryly.

Across the table, Percival pursed his lips and then parted them to speak, “I think it looks good on you.”

“Don’t patronize me,” the viceroy muttered, popping a piece of bread into his mouth. “I know what it looks like.”

“I’m not patronizing you,” the knight insisted with an offended frown. “It flatters the shape of your brow and the color of your eyes.”

Crow looked up from his plate, and Percy averted his gaze with a cough. “Um,” the former thief started slowly, unsure quite how to react to such a compliment coming from another man. After a moment of silence, he settled on a simple: “Thanks.”

The knight just nodded wordlessly, turning away as a kitchen servant walked over with his food.

The three lapsed into a somewhat awkward silence as they ate. As soon as they were all done, they walked as a group to the courtyard, where the stable hands were supposed to have brought their horses. Crow stepped outside first and looked around, hopeful that he was the first to arrive. However, his excitement fizzled as he caught sight of Penelope waiting with her father. Apparently she had beat him there after all.

“How early were [i]you[/i] up?” he asked incredulously, trotting down the stairs to catch up to her. “I even woke up before sunrise to get here first.” When he reached her side, he leaned down to press a kiss to her lips, happy to see her in spite of his loss.

When he pulled back, he heard Preston clear his throat behind him, and he rolled his eyes. “Okay, this little imp poured water on me, but after that, I swear I actually tried to hurry.”