Walking side by side with Penelope to the front of the inn, Crow absently watched the backs of Otto and Rayner as the two knights strode ahead of them. Ever since they had left the castle, he had attached himself to Penelope by the hip. The behavior was partly because they didn’t have much more time left before they would have to part ways for weeks, but it was also because she was the most comfortable person in the group to him. Once she was gone, he was sure he would have to divide his time between the rest of the nobles. He frowned at the thought. As much as he liked being around his sister when they were in the citadel, Naida was proving to be high-maintenance company when they were on the road. She barely listened when anyone asked her to keep her mouth shut and demanded attention when she decided she had gone too long without it. Her silver spoon was showing, and he didn’t have the energy to keep her satisfied for the rest of the journey.

Out of all his guards, Percival was objectively the best option for company. The knight was taciturn but friendly when he did engage in conversation. He was almost Naida’s opposite in that regard. While Crow had always been fond of idle chatter, he’d learned to enjoy sitting in silence too recently. Percy only seemed to open his mouth when he had something important or relevant to say, and it was a quality that the viceroy was coming to appreciate as he got to know him better. Privately, he decided that he wouldn’t mind spending more of his time with the other man after Penelope was gone if Percy didn’t see his presence as an intrusion. At least it would be better than letting Naida talk his ear off every minute they weren’t on the road.

As they stopped by the front of the inn to wait for Percival and Preston to return with their horses, the former thief glanced sideways at the Therouldes. The father and son duo reminded him quite a bit of William and Abraxas. The elder was brusque and orderly while the younger was soft-spoken and shy. He found it ironic how similar the two were to his past comrades and wondered if they would have treated him the same way as William and Abraxas had if he was still a criminal. Of course, there was no way to know for sure, but he had a feeling that Otto, at least, would have tried to put him in his place. He hadn’t been very considerate of Preston so far, and the boy was just a servant. If that was any indication of how he saw people who were socially beneath him, Crow was certain he would have been just as horrible of a guard as William, if not worse.

The viceroy was drawn from his thoughts when he felt Penelope slip her hand out of his. He looked down at her with a thoughtful expression as she rolled her shoulders. It was already apparent to him that she hadn’t slept well, but now it was starting to seem like she was sore after sleeping on the floor as well. He nearly questioned her about it, but she spoke up before he could say a word.

At her sigh, a smile crossed his lips, and he nodded in agreement. The previous day had been boring, but he would take boring over ‘nearly killed by mercenaries’ any day of the year. “You’re the one who wanted to come with us,” he quipped to his sister, nudging her teasingly with his elbow when she complained again. “Like it or not, this is what you asked for.”

“I thought going on an adventure would be more… well… [i]adventurous[/i] than this,” Naida crossed her arms in a bitter posture.

“As someone who’s been on an ‘adventurous’ adventure, I promise you that this is much better,” Crow smirked at her over his shoulder as he stepped onto the cobblestone road to take Baine from Preston. Turning away from the princess, he met his attendant’s gaze expectantly. “You’ve got the extra rations in your saddlebags, right? I’m not going anywhere until I’ve got something to eat in my hand.”

Preston nodded, “I can give you half a loaf of rye, but you should at least get on your horse while I bring it to you.”

“Fair enough,” the viceroy complied amenably. Hooking one boot into the closest stirrup, he hopped up onto Baine’s sturdy back and waited for the servant to fulfill his request for breakfast. As soon as that was done and everyone was ready to go, Otto gave the signal, and they departed down the road.