The following morning, Crow was awoken by the sound of rustling blankets and the creaking of a mattress as Otto and Rayner got up from their shared bed. He pulled his own blanket over his head, reluctant to leave the comfortable spot so early in the morning. Aside from the interruption of his nightmare, he’d gotten plenty of sleep the night before, but he was still tired and a little sore from riding for most of the previous day. If he could get even a few more minutes of sleep before they set out on the next leg of their journey, he was going to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, the baron didn’t give him the chance.

At the sound of Otto’s commanding voice, the viceroy groaned irritably. He would have been tempted to ignore the call to get up if Percival hadn’t followed it by making their bed lurch slightly as he sat upright. “Collin,” he said the former thief’s name as he gently shook his shoulder. “We need to get going.”

“That doesn’t work,” Preston informed the knight with a yawn, getting up from the floor. Despite the uncomfortable arrangement, the attendant seemed to have slept well through the night. He stretched his back and stepped over to the bedside to yank the blanket down from the viceroy’s body in his usual method of waking him up.

“Hey,” Crow snapped, shooting the boy a glare as the cold air in the room swept over his uncovered torso. “Ungrateful brat, I gave you my coat to sleep in.”

“And I’m repaying you by making sure we reach the next town in plenty of time,” Preston shrugged, lifting a hand to tug the shoulder of the oversized clothing back into place as it slipped. The surcoat was comically large on his smallish frame. In the back of his mind, Crow thought it made him look like a little kid wearing an older sibling’s hand-me-down. At least the thick fabric seemed to have kept the servant warm enough to get a full night of rest.

“You’re a real pain in my ass,” he said dryly, though he sat up on the bed and stretched his legs in preparation to get up anyway. At his side, Percival watched the exchange in silence, and Crow frowned at him, “What?”

The knight blinked, seeming caught off guard by the abrupt question, and turned away. “Nothing,” he answered, quickly standing up to put his armor back on.

The viceroy studied him bemusedly for a moment longer before getting up as well to put on his boots and take his surcoat back from Preston. With a verbal prod from the attendant, he reluctantly put his hat on too, wondering to himself if anyone would notice if he “lost” it during the trip. Somehow, he had a feeling that his servant would find a way to stop him even if he tried.

Once he was done dressing himself, he crossed the room to greet Penelope by wrapping his arms around her middle and pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Morning, love,” he smiled at her fondly, forgetting his earlier foul mood at the sight of her face. “How did you sleep?”