While Penelope and Naida talked, Crow let his gaze wander over the buildings around them. The village was still fairly close to the heart of Brerra, so it was an odd transition between the border and the citadel. Looking at it, he was reminded of what the outer villages had been like before the fighting with Younis had started. He wished he could travel further north to see what had become of his homeland since he’d left to start training as Albin’s viceroy. The war hadn’t stopped in his absence, after all. He hoped his companions and the other peasants were still faring alright without him and Penelope. Based on the last letter he’d gotten from Hazel, it sounded like they were having a harder time keeping up with the battalions’ movements now that they weren’t receiving updates from the lieutenant about when and where each battle would take place. That along with Simon’s death meant that there were only two somewhat skilled fighters left to defend the villages, Rikki and Alistair, and even they couldn’t protect their people every time.

He was drawn from his thoughts at the mention of supper, turning away from his surroundings to meet Penelope’s gaze. As she took his hand in hers, he nodded. “And lunch,” he pointed out, falling in step beside her on their way to the inn. “I haven’t had a freshly cooked meal since yesterday, and that needs to change.” Almost as if on cue, his stomach chose that moment to let out a low growl, and he rested a hand on his middle. “Seems like all of me is in agreement.”

“No surprise there,” Naida snorted, walking along on his other side. She casted him a sideways smirk. “Pigs will fly before you’re ever full.”

“They won’t if I eat them first,” he winked at her slyly.

When they stepped inside the inn, Crow took another look around to see all the other people who were staying there that night. Like the last inn, this one was busy compared to the traffic lodges like these usually got during the winter months, but the crowds seemed a little thinner than they had been in Sarton. Most of the patrons were merchants and messengers traveling to and from the warfront, but there were also more peasants than usual lounging around the common space. He guessed they were some of the clever few who had managed to hide enough money from the tax collectors every season that they were able to afford to hide out at an inn until the fighting subsided.

As he and the two knights strode through the room, some of the peasants looked up at him. Their expressions were mildly intrigued at first, until they seemed to recognize him, and their eyes grew round as disks. The former thief felt a ripple of unease shoot up and down his spine, and he averted his gaze. Usually, he was right at home among other members of his social class, but this time, their stares made him want to crawl under a rock.

[i]It’s probably because I’m not their equal anymore,[/i] he thought with a grimace. Most of his acquaintances in the inner kingdom had been supportive of his decision to become a nobleman, but he wouldn’t find the same approval out here. He was well aware of what the villagers thought of the upper class. They would assume the worst of him for choosing a cushioned life in the inner kingdom over a more honorable path, where one had to earn his or her wages with hard work and effort. Even being a criminal was more acceptable to them, because at least thieves were honest about their deceptive, unwholesome ways. Since they didn’t know the reason behind his choice to leave the outer villages, he already knew the peasants at this inn were going to be spreading rumors that his greed had gotten the best of him, and he’d been corrupted by the luxuries of the inner kingdom. It was far from the legacy he’d wanted to leave behind in the villages where he’d lived most of his life.

Eager to get away from their judging eyes, the viceroy hastened his pace slightly and opened the door to the tavern, letting Penelope and Naida through first before he followed after them. Unfortunately, the dining area was just as populated as the foyer had been, so there were only a few tables left that weren’t already hosting any occupants. “I see an empty table near the back,” he informed the knights, using his height advantage to pick out the most ideal spot in the room. There was one other large table closer to them, but at the moment, he preferred to have at least a semblance of privacy from the villagers. So, he started making his way across the tavern without waiting for either of them to object, beckoning with his hand for them to follow.