Crow nodded in agreement when Penelope said that Otto didn’t seem pleased with them for wandering off together. He didn’t know the older man very well apart from the little he had heard during the king’s council meetings, but the baron definitely struck him as a rule-abiding type. When they had been debating how to approach the war, Otto had been a firm advocate for continuing forward with the old plan to enlist Gorm as an ally. He hadn’t been as fiery as Adam Fischbach, but his decision had never wavered once until his father had announced that they would parley with Younis. Now, on their way to the northern kingdom, he suspected that Otto would be just as determined to follow the plan that Albin had made to a T.

As he and the knight walked back to the others, Crow enjoyed the last few minutes they would have to themselves for what would likely be the rest of the day. When the group came into sight up ahead, he let go of Penelope’s hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders in a swift hug before stepping over to prepare his horse. During the break, Baine had been tied to a tree with the rest of the stallions, idly nosing at a few of the branches over his head until he noticed the viceroy approach. Restless and probably hungry too, he snorted and scuffed the ground with his hoof. All the grass below his head had been trimmed down to the root, devoured by the animal when he had grazed.

“I told you we wouldn’t be gone long,” Crow reminded his sister with a smirk as he untied the stallion from the tree.

“Well, it was long enough,” Naida huffed, propping her hands on her hips. “If I have to pay attention during the ride, I’d at least like to have someone to talk to when we have our breaks, and these three are no good for conversation.” She waved a hand at the taciturn knights.

At that, Otto turned toward her from atop his steed, “Why don’t you ride up front with me this time, my lady? We can review your survival knowledge until we arrive in Sarton.”

Crow glanced at him, surprised that the baron was offering his help, either inadvertent or intentionally.

Naida stared at Otto for a moment before she shrugged. “Alright. It’s better than doing nothing, I suppose.”

“Very good,” the baron nodded. “We can begin by reviewing which plants are edible in this part of the kingdom.”

While his sister finally mounted her horse, Crow did the same with his, relieved that she had a distraction for this half of the ride. Once everyone was ready to go, Otto signaled for them to depart. He and Naida took up the two positions in the front while Percival and Rayner followed silently at the rear. In the middle, Crow rode between Penelope and Preston, letting his gaze wander over the surrounding trees as he kept more alert for suspicious movement.