Crow nodded in agreement when Penelope spoke about requesting for her battalion to stop attacking Younis while the parley was in process. Anything that would better his odds of convincing the northern king to sign the peace treaty was a good idea in his book. Additionally, it would give the peasants of the outer villages a reprieve from all the fighting they had endured for the last year. His thoughts wandered to Evelyn and Silas and Zenith and all the other people who risked losing everything if the battles continued. For their sakes more than his own, he hoped her barons would be willing to hear her out if she asked them to stand down.

When the knight went on to tease him in return, the viceroy grinned. “I’d have thought you would have figured it out by now, since we’ve tested our compatibility so many times.” He shot her a suggestive wink and then looked forward again to make sure he didn’t veer Baine off track in his distraction. “It’s far too late for that,” he continued as she pretended to worry about him. “I fell for you years ago, and I’ve never been able to get back up. I promise I’ll find a way to manage somehow though.” He casted her a sideways smirk.

“Hey, lovebirds,” Naida called from behind them. The princess had a broad smile on her face, clearly happy in spite of the words that left her lips. “Don’t forget you’ve got company.”

“We can’t do anything to please you, can we?” Crow turned around in his saddle to cast his sister an amused look. “Before, you kept pestering us to ‘get together,’ and now that we have, you’re saying it’s too much.”

“That’s not what I said,” Naida rolled her eyes. “I’m just bored, and neither of you are talking to me.”

“You’re like an attention-starved puppy,” the viceroy shook his head with mock exasperation. “We haven’t even been on the road for more than a few minutes.”

At the front of the group, Rayner peered over his shoulder with an incredulous look on his face, shocked by the way Crow spoke to the princess.

“You’re one to talk,” his sister retorted, not noticing the knight’s expression. “I happen to recall that a certain someone landed himself behind bars because of how much attention he needed.”

“You’re never going to let me forget about that, are you?” Crow groaned.

“Nope,” she grinned puckishly and turned to Penelope. “But don’t you worry. I’ll keep him in line while you’re gone.”